GoT Season 8 - Gems for Spring
by BuffyTheDragonQueen
Summary: Re-write of S8 I am writing what I would have wanted to see in season 8, in 6 episodes, which have titles different from the show. Jon and Dany get to Winterfell, and the Starks and the Targaryen(s) get ready for the battles to come, against the dead and against Cersei. Meanwhile, Cersei is plotting in King's landing. No Mad Queen, Please RemakeSeason8, or make a surprise-season-9
1. Episode 1 - The wolves and the dragons

Season 8 - Episode 1

**The wolves and the dragons**

* * *

In the woods to Winterfell

* * *

It was snowing lightly in the woods on the way from White Harbour to Winterfell. Dany had never seen the snow and she was studying it amused. For every flake that was falling on her hand, a pleasant shiver hit her, and she thought of every time in her life she would have welcomed this ice, like when she was starved and mortally thirsty in the desert. The silence that this white thick crunchy coat brought to the world around it, the quiet and the numbness that brought to her mind and her body, made her feel calm, settled, lucid as never before. The ice was softening the fire. She closed her eyes to feel the lull, and when she opened them, she saw Jon. He had wanted for the two of them to travel far from the army, far from the attention of the crowd, to keep Dany safe.

"If you see the people here displeased, it is not with you, remember they do not know you. They are mad I betrayed them, their trust, their choice." he said, trying to console her.

She knew it was not true. The heritage her father left her was just fear and hate, no love, no memory of greatness. Viserys was a fool, deceived by his thirst for power, in believing that in Westeros the people were waiting for the last Targaryens with joy, and would have looked at them as saviours. She saw it, in the eyes of the people that were waiting at White Harbour. She feared she would have seen it in the eyes of Jon's family too. She was afraid to lose him. Dany gave him a half smile, and wavered at the thought of what she was risking for Jon Snow, a man whom she had just recently met, and for whom she fell with the joy of a little girl. She loved her husband, and he loved her, but at the centre of everything there was always the thought of the iron throne. With Jon instead, she seemed to forget the throne at times, and everything she now wanted, she wanted it with him by her side. This scared her, hurt her in a way, she felt as she was betraying who she had always been before him; she now had put all this power over her in the hands of a man she practically did not know, yet she felt as they were two pieces of something that used to be whole. All this love, this warmth she had with him, when she grew up knowing none.

Jon looked at her. He was afraid Sansa would have tainted his love, that somebody, or something, would have hurt Daenerys. He had loved Ygritte, but Daenerys was as an arm, a leg of his, his heart. How fiercely strong and powerful she was, yet she would hide and disappear in his arms as if he was her whole world. He had always been nothing, treated like nothing, and now this dream with silver hair and purple eyes loved him back and had changed her world for him. He had known only cold, in his heart, in the heart of people around him, and now this fire was soothing the white desert his life had been. The terror of losing her never left him. He stretched over his horse to reach her hand and kissed it, one kiss for each flake of snow that was on it. They could find in each other's eyes all this that could not be conveyed in words.

Suddenly, the horses heard a cracking noise and stopped, and Jon and Dany froze. They saw four man waiting by a tree, looking at the two of them with disgust and contempt.

One man said "You brought us the conqueror, bastard. You are no king of ours.".

Another added "You bent the knee to a foreign woman with silver hair? At least queen Cersei does not bring Dothraki and monsters. And she would pay an awful lot for a silver lock...or scalp...or head...".

Jon dismounted and took out his sword, trying to shield Dany from the traitors; she could see he was trying to think fast. Two of the men had bows and arrows, and the other two had swords. Drogon and Rhaegal were far looking for food, they had not eaten properly in days, as they had followed the fleet. A little fish was not enough to satisfy two grown dragons, but now Jon was on his own to protect her. Only one arrow and she would have been just an empty body.

"Are you lost?" a voice said. The men turned around surprised. A cloaked short figure, possibly a wayfarer, came out from behind a tree, nobody had heard a noise, nobody had seen this person approach. Without giving anybody time to think, the wayfarer jumped between Jon and the traitors, facing them. Still confused and surprised, they did not attack first.

"Defend the queen" the wayfarer yelled at Jon. Before he could even reach Dany, who had dismounted, the wayfarer jumped behind the first man and cut his throat; the second man tried to take the wayfarer from the back, but the wayfarer turned the first man around and used the first man's sword to stab the second. The wayfarer then ran and used his short sword to stab the third man in the eye; the fourth man tried to escape, but the wayfarer killed him launching a dagger in his back.

Dany and Jon were astonished. The wayfarer, still cloaked, went to take back his dagger from the body of the fourth man. "Wait." Jon said, "Wait. Who are you? Where did you learn to fight like that? You took four men out by yourself.". He then realised something, "Can I see the hilt of your sword? It seems...but It cannot be ... before I left for the Watch ...my sister, she liked to fight and I...the sword I gave my sister Arya. Has she given it to you?". He was shaking with excitement.

The wayfarer slowly walked towards Jon, and, when close enough, removed the cloak. "I would never give this sword to anybody. I simply learned to stab them with the pointy end, as you said." said Arya, "Bran suggested you might have needed some help" she added.

The tears filled her, and his, eyes while she said "I dreamt of seeing you again, so many times that this could be a dream. You understand I have to be sure you are not a dream." she said shaking. Jon cheeks were drenched with tears, he tried to come closer to her but she moved backwards. "do you remember", Arya continued, "when it rained and I was scared and I came to your chambers to sleep?". Jon nodded. "You used to tell me a story...in the years the story disappeared, but I still remember your voice. It was the only thing that calmed me when I was scared. Your voice. When I saw father's execution, Rob's direwolf head on his body...that memory...was the only thing that kept me from madness...but I could not remember how the story began...". Jon realised Arya was there when their family died, he felt pain and rage for his little sister, against the Lannister, for what she went through; he tried to regain control, but the guilt of not having been able to protected her was tearing him. Arya saw it, and said "You protected me even if you were not there, you gave me this sword, I could pass as a boy. Nothing of what Sansa had to endure was done to me."

Jon tried to speak and started "Years ago, there was a shewolf like you, beautiful, strong, courageous, fierce, who, like you, instead of spending her days with a septa, liked to ride, and fight her brothers with the sword. One day..." Arya did not let him finish. She remembered it was a story about her aunt Lyanna. It was no dream. She was with Jon, again. She went close to him and then jumped and hugged him, as she used to do before they parted. Jon could not speak, he kept holding her until she stopped crying. Then he put her down, kissed her forehead and then said: "Thank you for saving us. You are beautiful, strong, courageous, fierce. I am so proud of you". Arya had been dreaming for this moment for years, since he had left her. "Us", thought Arya. Both remembered Dany was there waiting.

"I am sorry, Your Grace", Jon said. Then turned to Arya "This is our queen, Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, breaker of chains, rightful queen of the seven kingdoms". Arya bowed. "Your grace, I am Arya Stark, Jon's sister".

"You don't need to bow in front of me Arya Stark; Your brother loves you so very much that I could not wait to meet you; and you just saved our life.". Dany said.

"Our", thought Arya. "They look at each other as if they contain one another's world. He loves her. And she loves him." she thought "She must have a good heart if Jon loves her, she must be a good queen if he bent the knee.".

"It is an honour, Your Grace." Arya responded, "Jon, Sansa is waiting for us, we should go."

"Ride with me, Jon's horse is more loaded than mine" said Dany, mounting back leaving room for Arya. Arya smiled and climbed on Dany's horse. On the way to Winterfell Arya told Jon and Dany the story of her training to be a faceless assassin, Dany told Arya about her journey with the Dothraki and promised her they would have ridden Drogon and Rheagal together. Arya had always been fascinated by tales of dragons, since she was a little girl.

Jon just basked, for the two people he loved the most in the world seemed to find each other agreeable. "I wonder if Sansa will feel the same." he wondered.

* * *

They arrived in Winterfell hours later, yet Sansa was at the entrance to greet them. Ghost got to Jon as soon as he dismounted: "Hi, old friend.", he said petting him. Dany seemed a bit frightened, but Ghost licked her hands and she smiled. "Only Sansa is left to persuade" Jon thought. Jon was scared of his sister anger, for he had bent the knee to the conqueror without consulting her. He knew she had to defend him from the Northeners, alone. More than that, Dany's army and dragons would have eaten the food and resources Sansa had saved for the long winter. He thought her rage would have been justified.

He had not accounted for something, however: Sansa loved the North as much as him, and she was grateful that Queen Daenerys, in a way or another, had come to help them with the biggest army the world had ever seen. Something else for which he did not account: Sansa loved him, and, while she was concerned her brother had fallen for the Dragon Queen, and therefore he could have been easily manipulated, she also quickly noticed Dany staring lengthily at Jon, when he was not looking, and helping Arya off the horse, like a mother with a little child.

Sansa's resentment for Jon's decision was mitigated also by the kindness with which the Mother of Dragons addressed her "Thank you for welcoming my army and me in your castle Lady Stark. I expect we will substantially reduce your food stocks. I only hope I can repay you.".

Jon could hardly hide his bewilderment when Sansa replied "Thank you for coming to help your people, Your Grace. We should consider ourselves blessed you arrived in Westeros at these hard times to save us all."

Jon's fear faded away, and he felt he loved his sister Sansa much more than before. It was like Sansa had read his thoughts straight away: she really missed Jon, so she hugged him warmly, "Jon, the Night King passed the Wall." she whispered. She had to tell him.

Jon stopped breathing, and the fear that had just gone came back again, riving his heart.

Sansa took his hand and tried to take him back to where he was before "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. We all lost so much alone, it is time to be a pack. And if the pack now includes a dragon, so be it. Now, I should think you two are hungry, let's go eat. I have plenty to explain."

* * *

King's Landing

* * *

Cersei was looking out of the window from which not long before Tommen had taken his life. She had taken some disputable decisions before Tommen's death, some after; but now it was different. All the men in her life had gone. Her father decided for her wedding, how to administrate the realm and manage Joffrey, and now he was gone, in a humiliating way, which, she could not lie to herself, hit her with some spikes of merriment every time she thought about it; Robert was a wretched man, he would have never been able to get to the throne without the Lannister's gold, a wretched king, who spent his days being drunk in brothels, and a wretched husband, who, drunk, fat, and sweaty, had mounted her like an animal, and even so he had always been in love with another, but now he was gone too; her brother Tyrion, responsible for the death of her daughter, would have been responsible for her death, as she was prophesied years before, if he had not gone off far from her to serve the Dragon Queen; Joffrey, cruel Joffrey and sweet Tommen were gone; and now, the last man who had power over her was gone too: Jamie had decided to fight for the living, but doing so he had left her to join the Dragon Queen and Jon Snow. She had felt unbearable pain at first; after all, Jamie used to be everything for her, and all the steps she had taken, had always been deeply rooted in her instinct to protect that love, and the little people that came from it. However, now she felt a strange sense of freedom: all the decisions, right or wrong, she would have taken from now on, would have been for her, not for Joffrey, for Tommen, or her family, for her. For the first time she did not need to discuss, qualify, justify, excuse her decision, for better or for worse, and she felt uncaged and light for the first time in her life. Euron wanted to marry her, but that was an exchange of favours, a vow for a fleet, and the vow could have been broken easily if Euron were to suddenly pass.

Qyburn apologised when he entered the room. She found herself telling him these latest thoughts of hers. He was a vicious being, but his absence of morale, and, as a consequence, judgment, suited this new time of discovery of the world for her, with no ties to any predefined principles. As she had thought, Qyburn listened quietly and smiled, fascinated and honoured to be a part of his queen realisation, unshaken by her truth. He waited a while for her to regain her usual regal detachment, and then proceeded to say "Your Grace, Euron Greyjoy has arrived with the Golden Company. I suggested him your Grace would have preferred to meet him clean and rested, so I had the servants drawing him a bath. He did not protest too much.".

"I am so grateful." she said sarcastically "Are the people from the country still arriving in King's Landing?"

"Yes, Your Grace. The city has never been so crowded. Assuming the Dragon Queen and her allies survive the battle with the dead..."

Cersei cringed at the thought that one of her allies now was Jamie. Qyburn realised it, yet he kept talking

"...if she wanted to take the city, she will have to kill thousands of innocents.".

"She could find a way to breach the gates." remarked Cersei.

"We will be ready with spears for the dragons, and the Golden Company to take care of whatever will be left of her army."

"Who commands the Golden Company? I wish to speak with him" asked Cersei.

"A man who feels quite pugnacious against the Dragon Queen, I was told, your Grace. Apparently, she has left a few enemies in Essos, and underestimated their search for revenge. Which turns out to be extremely lucky for our cause. Should I let him in?"

Cersei nodded.

A man with a golden armour walked in the room. His eyes and his face were emotionless while he kneeled in front of Cersei.

"I am here to serve you, Your Grace. My name is Daario Naharis."

* * *

Back to Winterfell

* * *

Sansa took Jon, Arya, and Dany in a small room of the castle, easier to warm with a small fire. The table was ready with peas and onions pies and jars full of ale. The fireplace, however, had turned cold. Jon went immediately to get new firewood.

"I want to apologise Your Grace, you must be very cold. Also, we have no wine at the moment. Would Your Grace honour us trying some of our ale?" said Sansa.

"I am actually very curious, Jon has talked to me about ale, every time we had wine in fact." said Dany, Ghost sitting at her feet, with his head in her lap.

Sansa smiled thinking that there is no comparison with wine in her opinion, but since she had no wine, she stayed silent and served the Queen a full beer mug.

"Your brother has gone fetching the new firewood. He is the king. I find that confusing, he could have called a servant.".

"Jon did not want us to be cold any longer, Your Grace" said Arya.

"He is a good man. Is he a good brother?" asked Dany, while petting the direwolf.

"My late husband tortured me and raped me; Jon captured him, tied him up to a pole so that his dogs could feast on his face, and allowed me to watch." replied Sansa

Dany thought she could not love Jon more than that. "You must forgive me. I am sorry you had to suffer that. My brother sold me to a war lord in exchange for an army instead, that is why I thought of asking. Although, my husband and I had grown to love each other eventually. They are both gone now. I am alone.".

"There is nothing to forgive. I am sorry you had to endure that. As women we have to pray the men who guard us are good man, as we have no power over them.".

"Until we have more power than them, and this makes them squirm at times. But Jon is not like that, he has a good heart. I mean, he sounds very protective. You are very lucky.".

"He is very good... You know, if you were to marry again, Your Grace, perhaps you'd be kind enough to consider your husband's family as your new family." Sansa said.

Dany looked at her in a way that Sansa could not decipher.

"Please forgive my impertinence, Your Grace. I hope I did not offend you. I meant...".

"You did not offend me Lady Stark. We both have been married and we are all smart here. You know your brother, and you might..."

Arya jumped in: "He loves you."

"...and I love him." said Dany "Perhaps, you could stop calling me "Your Grace", and I could call you Sansa and Arya, when we are alone."

"We'd be honoured." answered Arya.

Daenerys smiled. "It seems we have an agreement, then. I think we will have much fun watching your brother blush when he'll learn about our discussion" giggled the Dragon Queen, followed by Arya and Sansa. Jon walked in with the firewood. "Who is going to blush learning what?" he asked. He quickly made the fire, just to turn around and find the three women he adored smiling at him, and Dany saying "We love you". Jon blushed as they thought he would have, added "I love you too", and kept stoking the fire.

Sansa interrupted a silence made of peace and gratitude, and said "Jon, we have to talk about Bran".

"Where is he? Why is he not here?"

Sansa had started to serve the pies "He is resting. He and your friend Sam are spending several hours together. You can talk to the two of them after supper."

Jon winced. "I did not know Sam was here...I should..."

"He brought books from the Citadel, with the intent of helping us fighting the Night King and his army. Though, before you see them, I must warn you... Jon, Bran is not Bran anymore. He is not simply a warg, not just a warg at least. He can travel in people too, and he can travel in the past, even to things he had not witnessed.".

They all started eating but Jon. "I don't understand." he said "How is that possible?"

"I don't know. He saw my wedding night, he saw that Arya, before coming here, was headed to King's Landing. He seems to be connected to the Night King as well. They "find" each other. The Night King left a mark on his arm. I don't know what it means. Sam and Bran are perusing books searching for an answer.".

Jon nodded. He had met wargs beyond the Wall. He had dreamt in Ghost's skin. He was brought back to life. But this was beyond the magic he had ever encountered. He took Dany's hand and kissed it, again, and started eating.

* * *

Outside the castle

* * *

Sir Jorah and Sir Davos were directing the soldiers in setting up camp, waiting for the rest of the army still on their way with Tyrion and Varys. Missandei and Grey Worm were helping them with the Dothraki and the Unsullied.

A screech cut the sky: Rheagal and Drogon were coming back from the hunt.

Sir Jorah felt somebody pulling on his tunic. He turned around and saw a little girl, unimpressed by the dragons, escorted by two soldiers.

"I am told you are my uncle. I am Lady Lyanna Mormont, and I am here seeking answers.".

Sir Jorah was partly amused, partly weirdly intimidated. "How can I serve you my Lady?", he asked respectfully.

"I am told you have been serving Daenerys of House Targaryen for years. We chose Jon Snow as King in the North, but now he has bent the knee, and the North is furious with him. He sold us, he betrayed us. What can you tell me about this Dragon Queen of yours?" asked Lyanna, in a strong and firm voice, which could be heard on top of the hammering that was going on in the camp.

Sir Jorah, as firmly as her voice, looked at her in the eye and said "She is the Queen we chose, after she freed slaves, raised three dragons, and made the impossible possible. I believe she will bring a new time of peace and harmony for Westeros. If the King you chose then chose our Queen himself, you must believe he is in the right".

Lyanna contemplated what she had just heard, and then, after a few moments, nodded. "I appreciate your sincerity uncle. I will discuss with the other Northmen." and then continued "I suppose you will want to take back your position in house Mormont.".

"No, my Lady. I am grateful for your offer but you are Lady Mormont now. And I am happy serving my Queen.".

Little Lady Mormont bowed proudly, but a crowded stamping on crispy snow caught their attention.

A flame got closer and closer; behind it, a pack of wolves progressed, led by the biggest direwolf ever seen. Sir Davos walked faster and faster towards the flame and then stopped, enraged. The flame was carried by a woman in a red cloak. "Do not worry Sir Davos" reassured him Melisandre "my watch has nearly ended.".

* * *

In Bran's chambers

* * *

In the end, Dany, Jon, Sansa, and Arya, all went to see Bran and Sam. Jon and Sam hugged as brothers separated for too long. When Jon hugged Bran, however, he understood what Sansa meant: he was not really Bran anymore. It could not just be the pain for he could not walk, there was something different; almost if in his brother's body lived, in fact, somebody else. Jon introduced his Queen, and then sat, ready to hear what they had to say.

"Jon" started Sam "maybe it would be best if we spoke alone.".

"No." answered Jon "This is no time for secrets. We have two battles in front of us, and we all must fight them knowing as much as possible.".

"Very well" said Sam hesitantly, "after all, this changes the view we have of Westeros' latest history, to say the least.".

All the eyes in the room were puzzled and pointed at Sam now; except for Bran's: his were staring beyond the flame in the hearth. Jon could not help but notice that.

"Your Grace," continued Sam "what do you know about your brother Rhaegar?"

Dany felt very uncomfortable, but answered "Everybody that knew him, told me he loved music, had a good heart, and that he would have made a great king. Yet, he raped Lyanna Stark. I cannot blame the North for feeling the way they feel about Targaryens. I hope I will be able to change that feeling, being a good Queen.". Sansa and Arya looked at her with much admiration, and with what was the beginning of a deep affection.

Sam continued awkwardly "See, Your Grace, Robert rebellion was based on a lie. He lied to fuel the rebellion against your house, and to legitimise usurping the throne. In fact, on this register of the Citadel, you see, I found that your brother Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark were actually married.".

All were surprised, and stared at the entry on the big book Sam was showing to them.

"Robert was a usurper, then. So, the heir, or heirs, of house Baratheon would have no claim to the throne at all. Father was wrong." said Sansa.

"Not just that," started Bran with a flat and solemn voice "the child that Rhaegar and Lyanna had is the rightful heir to the iron throne. The child of a Dragon and a Wolf, to ultimately unite the North and the other Kingdoms.".

Now the entire room was staring at Daenerys, who, after looking straight in Jon's eyes at the thought of how much she and Rhaegar had in common, became quite pensive. "Viserys never mentioned another Targaryen. Unless he did it to keep the throne to himself, I don't think he knew. I think he truthfully thought that Robert had exterminated all the Targaryens he could find.".

"You are right, Your Grace. Nobody else knew. That is why our father Ned Stark made sure you and your brother were brought to Essos in safety." explained Bran.

"Bran, if father knew, then why did he support Robert's rebellion to then betray him hiding the last Targaryens?" asked Jon.

Bran explained further "He could not stop a rebellion funded with Lannister's gold, he did not have enough men to help Rhaegar. But he could not bear the thought of Robert killing other innocents, and, more importantly, because he knew the dragon has three heads. He hoped that Viserys, Daenerys, and Rhaegar and Lyanna's child would have taken Westeros back, once adults. When Viserys died, and you got pregnant, Your Grace, he thought there were some more years of wait for that to happen, from what he had originally estimated at least.".

The room was frozen. Dany, with a feeble and emotional voice, asked "He knew where Rhaegar and Lyanna's child was then?".

"He knew." revealed Bran "Lyanna died of childbirth, but, before that, she entrusted her son, Aegon Targaryen, to our father, making him promise to keep him safe."

Everybody in the room now suspected the truth, but nobody was brave enough to say it out loud. Daenerys excitement was tangible "Where is he then?".

"The child, luckily, looked more like us than like you. Father thought that the best way of hiding him was in plain sight, though disguised in a role for which nobody would have really paid attention to him. A bastard. His bastard. For everyone to see, raised as one of us, yet always at the side of the room, outside everybody's regard and scrutiny.".

Now everybody in the room was frozen. Arya and Sansa feared for Jon now.

Jon, now in tears, nearly screamed "It is not true. Dany, it is not true. I am Ned Stark's bastard, I am nobody, I did not tell them to say this, I do not want to steal the throne from you. Please believe me.".

Dany looked at him, the man who would have died surrounded by the dead, only to let her escape and save her dragons, the man that she had grown to love so fast and more than anything, was shaking in tears, begging her to believe him. He was wrong, Bran was right. She knew somewhere inside her. She could not explain it. She took Jon's face in her hands, looked at him in the eyes and said "You are the kindest, most honest man I know. I know you love me. I know you have no desire for power. Now, would you do something for me?".

"Anything." responded Jon desperately.

"Would you close your eyes for me?".

Jon closed his eyes with no hesitation, Dany lit a torch from the fire and went back next to Jon. Arya was about to step forward to protect him, but Sansa stopped her. Dany gently took Jon's hand and slowly brought it near the fire, until his and her hand were inside the torch's flame together.

"Jon, Bran is right. Open your eyes." commanded Dany.

Jon opened his eyes, got scared in seeing his hand in the flame, but Dany held him steadily.

"You are not only a Targaryen, you are a dragon." she proclaimed triumphantly. "Well, at least half of you is." she added.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Episode 2 - The light and the night

Season 8 - Episode 2

**The light and the night**

* * *

Winterfell

* * *

On the previous night, many new allies had arrived in Winterfell. And many old friends, or enemies, were meeting again, all around, inside and outside the castle.

* * *

Outside the castle

* * *

Daenerys and Jon were walking through the camp to check the status of the army, after Tyrion and Varys had arrived with the rest of the Unsullied and Dothraki. A woman in a red cloak walked towards them and they stopped. Melisandre joined them, first hesitant, for she did not know Jon's feelings towards her, but then he smiled, sweet goodhearted forgiving Jon, and she was reassured. Jon told her what he and Dany had learned the night before, asking if she saw it in her flames, if that was the reason why she asked Daenerys to summon him in Dragonstone, if that was the reason why the Lord of Light had brought him back.

"I don't know, Jon Snow. As I explained, I have only the power that the Lord gave me, I don't know why. I know, however, that a prince was promised, a warrior of light, a son of fire, that would defeat the darkness."

"I have heard of this prophecy in Essos. Azor Ahai tempered the sword in his wife's heart." said Daenerys, with much concern.

"Sometimes prophecies are not to be taken word by word, Your Grace: often they use symbols to represent something else. I know that this prophecy was translated incorrectly: the word for prince in High Valyrian is the same as the word for princess. It could be either of you. Or it could be the third dragon.".

"Is there another?" asked Jon quite agitated.

"There must be. After all, the dragon has three heads. And the word for dragon does not have a gender either. Forgive me now, there is somebody else that I need to meet.".

Jon and Daenerys were left more confused than they were before. The previous night had been intense for them: Jon was a bundle of emotions, learning that he was raised as a bastard, when, in truth, he was a king; he was afraid he would lose his sisters or the woman he adored. Dany was afraid that learning they were related would have affected their relationship, for Jon had been raised as a Stark, and Starks do not wed their blood relatives; she was worried that a thirst for power could possess her...or him..., leaving only ashes of their love.

The only solution to all those doubts was talking to one another, and trust that the other would have understood and listened. And they did. All night. To then find that they cared about each other more than any throne, any title, any relation, and to be devoured by sadness at the thought of what it could have been if they had been raised as Targaryen heirs, in Westeros, and not as a fugitive and a bastard.

They were truly, deeply, allies, and destined to be together, to fight together, to flourish together. But now Melisandre had thrown off the balance they had reached. Another dragon?

* * *

In Sansa's chambers

* * *

Sansa was recalculating how to administer food stokes and flocks, now that they had to feed not only the Northmen, but also the Unsullied, the Dothraki, and the dragons. And survive the long winter. And make sure the dragons were well fed, so they would not eat them all. And help Sam with the books from the Citadel. She was resting her eyes, when somebody knocked on her door.

"My Lady...", said Tyrion, after having received the permission to enter the room.

Sansa expected to see him, she just did not know how she would have felt. Tyrion had been respectful of her, when she used to think that being married to the Imp was being married to a monster. She treated him like a monster. With Ramsey, she learned that the true monsters are monsters in the heart, not in the body. A lesson she should have learned with Joffrey. But again, she was a slow learner. So, seeing Tyrion again, ultimately, revealed her guilt, how she had humiliated herself being so stupid, so mean, to Jon, to Tyrion. She wondered if Tyrion would have forgiven her, like her brother did. Ashamed, she could only whisper "My Lord..."

Tyrion knew she was beautiful, he had admired her intelligence, her resilience in King's Landing, but did not expect to find her so astounding. "It is a joy to see you are well, my Lady. I know you had to endure much more of what you had to face in King's Landing, even though that would have already been enough to annihilate most people. But not you. As I once told you, you may survive us all." he said smiling at her with lovingness.

"I must apologise, my Lord, as I left you there alone, taking the blame for Joffrey's death. It was not I who killed him, but I am sorry I went away. I am also sorry for the way I treated you in our marriage. You were good to me, and I never told you that.".

"There is no need to apologise. I am just glad you survived. And I look forward to the many clever debates I will have with you. If we survive, of course.".

"Perhaps we could start now, and not leave it to chance. Samwell Tarly left me some history books to peruse, in search for information about the Night King. Though, I have this pile of documents to go through, I could use your help with the books, my Lord.".

"Tyrion, Sansa. Call me, Tyrion. I am still your husband after all, until we decide otherwise. From where should I start?".

* * *

In the courtyard

* * *

After talking to the King in the North and the Dragon Queen, Melisandre approached Arya Stark, who was accompanied by Nymeria, whom Melisandre had brought to Winterfell the night before. Nymeria now led a pack of wolves, but it took her only a little time to remember Winterfell, her brother Ghost, and Arya: after wrestling playfully with Ghost for a while, she showed up in Arya's chambers in the middle of the night, opened a chest, picked a glove, and put it on Arya's face while she was sleeping. Arya could not believe she was not dreaming, she explained to Nymeria why she had to send her away, and the wolf seemed to understand: they slept embraced all night, like no time had passed.

Arya was filled with anger when she saw Melisandre.

Melisandre said "I told you we would meet again.".

"You are on my list, Red Woman."

"I did not kill him, Arya Stark. He is not among the mistakes I made. And you will see him again soon."

Arya could not suppress the smile on her face.

"Have you closed many eyes so far?"

Arya remembered Malisandre's prophecy. "Only brown eyes so far...no blue or green eyes.".

"Do not worry, you will catch up soon. Mark my words." said the Red Woman smiling, leaving Arya paralysed by her own thoughts while Nymeria was licking her hand.

* * *

In the throne room

* * *

Everybody that was in Bran's chambers the night before had made a pact: nobody else should have known about Jon, at least for now. Creating "factions" before the two imminent wars would have been unwise, especially since Jon was a man, and people tend to prefer men in positions of power, for no apparent reason.

The Starks, Daenerys, and whatever Jon was, were trying to convince the Northmen that Daenerys was a good Queen, a fair Queen. She had offered to save them in exchange for nothing, and swearing allegiance to her was only fair. Yet the back and forth with the Northern ladies and lords had gone on for a while. Even Jon was losing his temper, still shaken for what he had learned the night before: "My lords and ladies, Queen Daenerys has freed cities, that with her guidance only knew prosperity and justice. She gathered the biggest army that the world has ever seen, and instead of conquering the seven kingdoms with fire and blood, she is instead stipulating alliances, saving thousands of innocents. She could take the North in a heartbeat, if she wanted, yet she is here, helping us fight our war. I really do not understand your attitude here.".

"How do we know she is not like her father? How do we know that one day she won't wake up wanting to burn us all?" said a voice in the crowd.

Daenerys felt hurt. She had been fighting with the expectation of her turning mad all her life, she could read the hinting to it in people's eyes. She knew she was passionate, she knew she had not particularly enjoyed compromise in the past, but between being firm in her positions and being mad there was a huge difference. And Jon had added calm to her life, the ice to soothe the fire. She was not the last Targaryen, she was not without family anymore. She was loved in Essos, she was loved by Jon, and his family respected her. This gave her the strength to stay calm, and reply: "In understand your concern, believe me. I am well aware of my heritage. You think you hate my father, but you were not burnt in the end, you kept living your lives.".

Murmurs of disapproval filled the room.

Dany ignored them and continued: "I have more reasons than you to hate my father, because my life was affected by him. I was raised in a land that was not mine, by a cruel brother that sold me when I was a little more than a child. I know violence. I know pain. I know starvation. I know fear. And I do not want any child to grow up feeling what I felt."

There was a respectful silence all around her now.

She urged further: "I never knew the privileges of my name, I was never spoiled by its resonance, because the only thing that it would bring was fear and wariness. I promise you that if you were to trust me, you will know a different Targaryen, you will know a better world. We can build it together, for the spring to come.".

She looked at Jon, to get a sign of any sort. He smiled, full of pride and admiration.

Lady Lyanna Mormont stood up: "Your Grace, thank you for being so patient with our distrust of you. We had chosen another king for us, we only know the king in the North whose name is Stark. Jon Snow is a bastard, but he is a Stark to us. And if a Stark trusted you, I should trust you as well. Though might I suggest, perhaps a marriage would be the fastest way to gain consensus for this alliance? The whole North would bend the knee faster if you married the king we chose for ourselves.".

Both Jon and Daenerys expected such suggestion would have been raised. However, they had never discussed it between themselves. Jon loved her of course, he wanted to marry her, but he knew he was a bastard, so he never suggested a marriage himself, afraid to weaken her position as a ruler; after what he had learned the night before, about who he really was, he now felt at least his name would be worth of her. Dany loved him, of course, and wanted to marry him, but she was afraid to pressure him after what they had discovered the night before.

"Your King is not alone trusting our Queen" interrupted Sansa, who had noticed Daenerys and Jon's embarrassment, and wanted to move on from that awkward moment, "all the last Starks do. And you must know that this was also our father's, Ned Stark's, hope, for the last Targaryen to return. This should be enough for the North.". She was very careful not to say "last Targaryens", plural.

The was no time for a reply, as the sound of a horn called everyone's attention, the room emptied very quickly, and they all ran to the gates to see what was happening.

* * *

In Sam's chambers

* * *

Tyrion crossed franticly the long and cold corridors of the castle, slowed down by the heavy books he was carrying, searching for Sam's chambers. He had looked lazily at some of the books earlier, as Sansa had asked, truth be told only to be with Sansa, but then he found...he needed to talk to Sam.

He had two books with him, one was a record of magic in the Seven Kingdoms and the other a collection of tales for children that the maesters had transcribed. Tyrion truly believed that stories passed on by nans and maesters contained truths often unacknowledged. And he felt this time he might have been right.

"Samwell Tarly? I am Tyrion Lannister, we need to talk." said Tyrion brutally once he entered Sam's chambers, to then shut the door even more abruptly.

Sam's head surfaced from behind a pile of books he had on the table.

"Lord Tyrion, it is an honour to..."

"Sam, Lady Stark asked me to help her with the books you gave her...Sam...look...There is no mention of White Walkers for thousands of years, it seems like they were sleeping, but now they are not asleep anymore. What woke them? And why? Did they sense something now that had not happened for thousands of years?"

"Well, I do not..."

"And look at this book of tales: there is a story about the thirteenth lead of the Night's Watch. He fell for a woman with the "skin of the colour of the moon and eyes like blue stars", and lost his soul. He became the Night's King and he ruled on the Sworn Brother's for years. He was said to be a Stark, and he was defeated by an alliance between the Starks and the Wildlings.".

"What do you think this means, Lord Tyrion?"

"I do not know." yelled Tyrion, who had never felt so frustrated. "I am sorry, I don't know. I don't know. But I know these are all fragments of the same story. What I cannot understand is how they fit together.".

"Bran said he went back to see the creation of the Night King we are facing now. It seems he was created by the Children of the Forest, from one First Man, as protection from the other First Men.".

"Now that we are at it, actually, how does Bran's power work exactly? Help me understand.".

"Well, he is the three eyed raven. He was a powerful warg before, but the former three eyed raven, who had lived for thousands of years among the Children of the forest, sent him visions, to be found by him. He passed all his powers onto Bran, after teaching him how to use them. Bran can travel in people, or as himself. He cannot be seen where he visits, he is either in the head of the person or the animal he is using to travel, or just a spectator. However, he told me he affected the past, in spite of the fact that he cannot be seen. He connected past and present, causing damage to the mind of his servant. Or, another time, he was heard by somebody whose name he was calling. He even got a mark on his arm by the Night King, although they never met in person, so it is very powerful magic, in the both of them. He spent, and spends, a lot of his time in another skin: I read somewhere that wargs need to be careful, not to get lost in the animal in which they travel. Bran does not seem concerned about this aspect. I have never seen that sort of magic." Sam was trying to gather his thoughts "They seem connected, Bran and Night King, in some way. They find each other. I thought about this at length. The only explanation I could find is that they use the same kind of magic.".

"Wait...you said that the Night King was created by the Children of the Forest, thousands of years ago, and that the previous three eyed raven was thousands of years old and lived among the Children of the Forest. You suggested the Night King and the three eyed raven use the same kind of magic. And I read that the White Walkers slept for thousands of years and now they are awake. What if the Night King was awoken by the previous three eyed raven's magic, since he was using it to connect with Bran?".

Sam became restless and all of a sudden reached for a book left open on a chair. Tyrion was more and more agitated.

"Look at this, Lord Tyrion.". Sam lowered the opened book for Tyrion to see. "There is a drawing of a dagger made of Valyrian steel, it is among the little record there is about the Night King.".

Tyrion looked at the book, not really sure about what to say since he did not understand what was the point that Sam was trying to make.

Sam sensed how perplexed Tyrion was and continued: "Littlefinger owned this dagger. He gave it to the assassin he sent to kill Bran. When Catelyn Stark asked for his help to identify the owner of this dagger, Littlefinger lied and said it was you. He did it to fuel the conflict between Starks and Lannisters of course...".

Tyrion was stunned into silence.

Sam proceeded "When Littlefinger came here, after the Battle of the Bastards, he gave the dagger to Bran...well, he was an extremely deranged person in my opinion...anyway, he told him that in a way that dagger had made Bran who he was. Bran found no use for the dagger himself, and donated it to his sister Arya. You see? We have the dagger that is supposed to help defeat the Night King, and even the dagger has a connection with Bran. Well, I still do not know what it means of course..." he laughed hysterically, and then collapsed on a chair drained of his energy.

Tyrion kept thinking out loud: "The Starks descend from the First Men, so in a way they must be somehow connected to the Night King. It is also in the tale I found. There the Night's King was a Stark, and he was defeated by a Stark.".

"What does this all mean, Lord Tyrion?"

"I cannot put my fingers on it, Sam. I do not know...yet."

* * *

At the gates

* * *

The gates were open, to let the Northmen who were looking for protection, or to join the battle, arrive to the castle. A man in a grey cloak passed the gate, trying to go unnoticed. He was especially concerned in hiding his right hand, but Brienne of Tarth could not be fooled: she recognised Jamie Lannister in a heartbeat. "What are you doing here? And without an army?" she asked.

"Cersei lied. She never intended to send her army. She actually sent Euron Greyjoy's fleet to escort the Golden Company from Essos to King's Landing.".

"We must talk to the Dragon Queen. Why are you here? Why are you telling us this?"

"You told me to fuck loyalty and I did.".

Brienne smiled "But..."

The sound of a horn interrupted them.

The council that was reunited in the throne room rushed to the gates as well. They witnessed a group of men riding right into the courtyard and then dismount very quickly, their face signed with urge and horror.

Tormund, Gendry, Beric, and the Hound had reached Winterfell the fastest they could.

"The Whites are only a few hours away. They will be here in the morning." yelled the Hound.

"I thought they would have come at night." Jon was disheartened.

Tormund corrected him: "Jon, they don't come when it is night. They bring the night. We have to get ready for battle.".

* * *

At the smithery

* * *

"So, the Red Woman did not lie, she did not kill you." said Arya emotionlessly.

Gendry had joined the smiths to help them forge more weapons from the dragonglass mined in Dragonstone. The largest part had been forged in Dragonstone already, for order of the Queen, but it was best to have an excess of weapons, hoping that it would have helped in the battle.

He heard Arya's voice and he thought he was dreaming. He turned around and found her staring at him, mostly annoyed. "What was the use she had of you exactly, then?"

Gendry was in love with Arya, he always had been. But she was a child when they met, and he wanted to wait for her to be a woman before talking to her about it. Then he got taken by Melisandre, and he had imagined every night, since then, how it would have been to see Arya again, and every night he had prayed for her safety. There she was now, safe, in front of him.

She was taller now, of course, after so many years. She had always been determined, a little smug, and ultimately protective of him, just a bastard, even though she was a lady. The look in her eyes had changed, it was more piercing now, she was trying to read every single thought of his.

He gave her the biggest smile filled with joy of seeing her, and he was so fast in hugging her that she did not have the time to put on the pretence of being detached. She laughed. "You did not answer my question.".

"Apparently, I am the bastard son of Robert Baratheon. She needed the blood of the son of a king for one of her spells; she did not need to kill me. She tied me up to a bed, stripped me naked, and used leeches to get my blood.".

Arya pushed him away with anger: "You slept with her?".

"She is not you, so no." he found himself saying, without even realising it. He blushed, and Arya blushed as well.

This red-faced moment was interrupted suddenly: "Hey you, the last time I saw you, you left me dying.".

Arya turned around and saw the Hound. "Hello, Sandor. You are well, I can see.".

"Not thanks to you, little monster." he responded, smiling at her, though, happy she was alive.

"Am I interrupting something?" asked Sansa, walking in the smithery. "I only came to check on the dragonglass weapons, but I see it is quite crowded in here.".

"Everything is progressing well, my Lady. It is just old friends meeting after many adventures."

"You are still alive, little bird. I am glad to see that. I learned what happened to you. I wish I had followed you, so I could have protected you." said Sendor to Sansa.

"Thank you Sendor. You do not know how many times I wished I made different choices." replied Sansa.

"You did not make wrong choices, little bird. Ramsey Bolton was a sick bastard and he should have been drowned in his own shit.".

"Jon and I made sure he died in worse way. Thank you for your words, though.". Sansa felt some warmth around her heart. It was true, what had happened with Ramsey was not her fault.

Arya and Gendry followed the conversation between the Hound and Sansa, to avoid each other's eyes.

Arya got through all the emotions that were being poured in the smithery, and said: "Actually, I came also because I designed a weapon that could allow to fight faster, at a greater distance from the enemy, and to fight with more than an enemy at the time. And I wanted to have one smith forging only this until the battle.". She opened her drawing on the table and the others regained control over themselves, and leaned over to see what she meant.

"That is brilliant." said Sansa.

"You are meant to be a knight." approved Sendor.

"I shall get right on it." proclaimed Gendry proudly.

* * *

In the royal chambers

* * *

After a quick supper, Jon and Dany were trying to avoid thinking or talking about how desperate the situation was, or how scared they were, or discuss strategies: they would have had all night for that; they tried to discuss how wonderful the North was, Dany described Meereen, Jon told her how tired he was of the cold. Until they reached a moment of silence, and silence often let's dark thoughts surface.

"If I die tomorrow, I want to die as your husband.".

"I shall not marry you tonight Jon, so you will be forced not to die, to marry me after the battle.".

"Some time ago, I said to the Red Woman not to bring me back if I had fallen during the Battle of the Bastards. I would come back a thousand times now, just to be with you.".

She kissed him.

Suddenly, they both heard confused noises, screeches, so they went close to their chambers window: they looked up in the night sky and saw three small dragons, not fully grown, yet dancing among the clouds with Drogon and Rheagal, like small children with their parents.

"How can it be?" asked Jon in awe.

"Drogon must have laid eggs when he disappeared." said the Mother of Dragons, whose eyes were filled with tears of happiness, and with her voice broken by joy, she looked at Jon: "It looks like we have more allies now.".

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Episode 3 - The night and the light

Season 8 - Episode 3

**The night and the light**

* * *

Bran had travelled in a raven to spy on the Night King, and now the living were able to know from which direction the dead were going to attack. Therefore, the night before the arrival of the White Walkers was spent strategically relocating the various groups of fighters, hoping it could have given them some advantage when attacking the Night King and his army.

* * *

Godswood

* * *

For the Night King had tried to capture Bran in the past, he had suggested he could be the bait: he had to stay somewhere easily reachable by the Night King, yet still far from the battle, as all needed for Bran to meet the Night King, with hope they could ... well, nobody understood that still. Bran was placed in the Godswood, surrounded by the Northmen led by Theon Greyjoy, who had arrived at the end of the day before, to make amend, after rescuing his sister. The whole smithery had spent the whole night, in the end, forging Arya's weapon: a five feet long halberd, with an axe and a spear on both ends, made entirely of dragonglass: that way, one could have stabbed two enemies at the same time, or, having it rotate, cut throats, and even if its two ends were to break, the dragonglass of the rod could still kill white walkers or their dead soldiers. The Northmen in the Godswood and in the field, less trained for battle than the Unsullied or the Dothraki, were armed with Arya's special halberd.

* * *

Armory

* * *

Sam, Tyrion, and Sansa could not fight in battle, but had knowledge and intelligence, which can be very powerful weapons: they were trying to put together all the fragments of the story they could find. To be useful, to be safe whilst doing so, yet having to be ready to act whenever they would have figure it out, they were located in the armory with all their books, with outside Brienne of Tarth, some Northmen, and Jamie Lannister, who had wanted to join to protect them.

Sam was restless, scared he would have died, and anxious about not understanding the connection between Bran and the Night King yet.

Sansa did not understand why Jon loved Sam so much: he was weak, and did not seem to do anything useful, ever. She was grateful Tyrion was there though, his presence calmed her, it had always had. He had managed to ease her stay in King's Landing, and that was quite the challenge. He was kind, in spite of what he had been through. Sansa was not really sure, however, if he could have ever forgotten he was a Lannister, if he could be trusted with her brother's secret. She had watched Tyrion say farewell to Jamie in the courtyard, that was not the sight of a man that had turned his back to his family. She wondered what would have been of his loyalty if they would have defeated the dead. She thought about herself: she had stayed in King's Landing with Cersei since when she was quite young, and then with Littlefinger, and then with Ramsey, and then finally with Jon. She was trying to be a good sister, but in fact she was jealous: she had always wanted to be queen, and now her bastard brother found out he is actually the King, and he did not want the throne. She was jealous of Daenerys as well, so gorgeous, so powerful, and Jon adored her. Sansa wondered if effectively she was still a Stark: a Stark would have fought to save Rickon, a Stark would not be seeking power; she, instead, was lucid, thinking only of taking back Winterfell. Well, there was no time of thinking about it now: a pile of books and a war were ahead of her.

Tyrion was fighting with his thoughts as well. He had just left his brother outside in the battlefield, they had not said much:

"I am sorry I was weak." had apologised Jamie.

"You are not weak. You are just desperately in love with the wrong woman. But now you are here." had replied Tyrion "It was a long journey but you're here." he paused "Are you sure you are ready to die far from Cersei?"

"If I died, it would be for Cersei. Your Queen might not kill her, but the dead surely would. I have done many horrible things for love, I want to do something good for it. Something a knight would do.".

"You were always a knight for me.".

"And you have never been a monster. You were just my little brother.".

They hugged and said farewell, with the pain that there always is when a life could have been lived differently. "Well, no matter now. There are more imminent battles than the ones with sorrows." thought Tyrion.

Sam, Tyrion, and Sansa looked at each other and Sam opened the thickest book they had ever seen, saying "Well, let's start again.".

* * *

White Harbor

* * *

Those who could not fight had already been sent to White Harbor: in any war, they would have been hidden in the crypts, but since the enemy could resurrect the dead, placing them in the crypts in that instance would have been just idiotic.

Missandei, with the women and children of Winterfell, were travelling, ready to sail to Essos if they had not received news from Winterfell after two days. They were escorted by a small army of Dothraki and Unsullied, led by Sir Jorah Mormont and Grey Worm. It had taken a while to Deanerys to persuade them: Sir Jorah wanted to be with her, to protect her; Grey Worm was feeling deposed from his role of lead of the Unsullied, and Queen's guard; and Missandei as if the Queen did not need her anymore now that she had Jon's family. "You are taking this all wrong." said Dany "You are the people that have known me the longest: Sir Jorah Mormont, you know me, since when a was just a child; Missandei, you know my mind, my vision for the world I want to build; Grey Worm, you are my arm, you are the one that physically fought for me, freed slaves for me, tamed rebels for me. You three can protect my legacy, the cities I freed, like nobody could. You have been with me throughout this journey, you know me like nobody will ever be able to. Only you could keep me alive in the world, if I fell tomorrow.". They felt useless, they felt broken, but they knew she was right. The three of them were now boarding the ships of their Queen, ready to leave Westeros if the dead had won, and never turn back.

* * *

In the direction of Crofters' village

* * *

Jon and Daenerys were waiting with the five dragons: they were hoping to take the dead by surprise with their new numbers. After putting the plan together with the others, Dany had tried to teach Jon to ride Rhaegal. He was so clumsy in the beginning that Dany could not stop laughing, even with a war coming.

"You can't ride dragons!" had kept protesting Jon.

"Of course you can! You saw me!" she had insisted "You will thank me later."

When he had finally succeeded, while still flying, he had screamed "Why didn't you make me this sooner?"

They had now found a small house on the way, to spend the hours before the battle. The fireplace was cold: they were hiding and they did not want to show their presence, until a signal would have been given to them from Winterfell. They were getting dressed after making love, after days of not having any time for themselves. Jon shook his head "I was raised a bastard, nobody paid attention to me, I was not even allowed to sit with my siblings at supper. I had never wanted to be Lord Commander, I had never wanted to be King in the North. I had never wanted to rule, yet I ended up doing it because people chose me. And now, not only they chose me, but we know it is my birthright. I know I asked you to do this, to protect the North; I know I swore to guard the realm of men; I know this is what needs to be done. It is the two of us, and Westeros' fate is in our hands, but all I can think about is that I want to run away, and be free, with you, free to sail with you somewhere warm, live in a small house, working the land, and never touch a sword again.".

"Can the house have a red door and a lemon tree?" asked Dany, hiding in his arms.

Jon was surprised she did not try to persuade him that ruling together was the best thing to do.

"You do not want to sit on the iron throne anymore?"

"I do. But I have changed since I met you. We are very similar, in keeping our word, in wanting to see our people safe, to end the injustice, and to build a better world. But I also liked power: our family's pride ran in my blood. And then I see you, how learning that you are the legitimate heir of our family has not changed you, and your only fear was losing your sisters and me. I am awed by you. I understood that liking having power over people can affect the kind of ruler one wants to be, it can hide the real purpose of ruling. Now, if we were to sit on that throne, it would be to turn Westeros into a vision, not to have power over the people of Westeros. But I could consider running away with you." she smiled.

"You could consider running away, I could consider ruling with you. You have changed me too. Aside from the fact that I used to talk less, I was used to being a ghost, mistreated, defeated, and I only wanted to disappear beyond the wall. Then I met you, and I see how you fight, how you believe in yourself and in your vision, how you believe in people, how you believed in me. I am awed by you too. And you are right, we can only help people from a position of power. We can help the North now because of the power you have gathered over the years. If we stand a chance, it is because of you.".

"It seems ice and fire work quite well together, Jon Snow.".

He smiled "Then, let's win this war. Together.".

* * *

Around the castle

* * *

Unsullied and Dothraki were waiting in silence. Sir Davos and the Red Woman were waiting side by side once again.

"Any chance you had a vision about how this is going to go?"

"This time I will help fighting using no vision, Sir Davos. We both know how sometimes they can be misleading. I will pray the Lord for his assistance, but nothing more.".

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe our fate is not written in stone? We can always change it, for better or worse."

"I think the Lord shows me vision of what it could be, but not always the steps to get there are clear, or what makes us happy. We wish for a clear path, easy steps, and get what we want at the same time. Life it is not that easy. Ultimately, everything that has happened so far, each single event, for as horrible as it was, led us to where we are today.".

"You mean freezing our arse waiting to be slaughtered? I keep not liking your Lord."

"That is not the problem, Sir Davos. Let's just hope he likes us enough to save us.".

* * *

In the direction of Castle Cerwyn

* * *

Arya, Beric, and the Hound were hiding with Ghost and Nymeria' s pack.

"A lifetime of fighting, and I end up leading a pack of bloody wolves?" protested the Hound.

"You are not leading the pack, Nymeria and Ghost are, and I lead them. You follow the pack, if you want." replied Arya.

Beric started reasoning out loud "The Lord brought me back so many times because I have to serve a purpose. I wonder if that purpose will be clear tonight.".

"I think for now your purpose should be to shut your fucking mouth." barked the Hound, while using his nail to clean his teeth.

Arya finished petting Nymeria and Ghost, and looked at the Hound disgusted, "I don't know what the purpose of the two of you is, but I surely will have some eyes to close.".

* * *

The Sun appeared over the horizon, and everybody held their positions and their breath. A few moments of dawn, and then the light was drenched in the darkness that was rising from the ground: they saw the Sun that had just risen, set again in the East, and the night came again. The dead were there.

* * *

It had begun. Melisandre put her hands on the swords of the lead of the Dothraki and the Unsullied, and the swords of all the army were lit up in flames. They stood still until they could see the dead approaching the castle. Both armies had fought monsters, but the monsters were people, slavers. These, instead, were actual monsters: they dragged the limbs they had left filling the air with an atrocious stench; their faces were deformed, or filled with holes, no teeth, their void eyes the colour of ice; they did not seem to have a mind on their own, all of them followed silent orders from somebody that could not be seen. The vanguard of the Dothraki rode through the dead first: they did burn some, but they were devoured by the army of the dead, and disappeared with their horses. The rest of the Dothraki held back then, and the archers started throwing arrows from all around the walls: their arrows would split into five fireballs once in the air; this thinned the vanguard of the dead enough to let the Dothraki penetrate their lines.

"The night king was created by the children of the forest to defend them against the First Men, The Night King was stopped by a Stark. Starks descend from the First Men. The three eyed raven, after thousands of years, passed his powers to a Stark. The last time, to get to Bran, the Night King killed the Children of the Forest, who were instead protecting the three eyed raven." repeated Sam.

"This is killing me." growled Tyrion.

"If we don't sort it soon enough, this will actually kill us, Tyrion." Sansa continued "The Night King was created to fight the First men. Bran is the memory of human kind, and, as Stark, descendant of the First Men. The Night King wants to destroy Bran and all men. He may have taken his mission too far.".

Tyrion nodded "Why is he attacking us now? Why did the three eyed raven pass his powers to Bran now?"

"What if it was because a Stark is supposed to lead the realm of men? And Bran is the one that was supposed to make that happen?" said Sansa, thinking of Jon being the heir to the iron throne.

"What do you mean?" asked Tyrion, questioningly. His eyes were wide open, he was anxious.

Sansa wanted to move on "I can't explain it to you now."

Tyrion was annoyed: "Fine. Let's assume you are right on the motivation of all this. How do we stop it?"

The sound of a horn interrupted them: the Dothraki and the Unsullied were struggling to control the dead, and were calling for help.

At the sound of the horn, Arya, Beric, the Hound, the direwolves and the pack attacked, to surprise the dead from behind and thin their front on the southern wall of Winterfell. Arya started fighting, and killed each and every one that came close enough to her. All of a sudden, a screech paralysed them: the ice dragon was over their head ridden by the Night King.

The horn was played again, to call the Dragon Queen.

The ice dragon was destroying the Dothraki lines. Drogon and Rheagal, ridden by Daenerys and Jon, attacked it from both sides and grabbed its neck. The ice dragon fought back, and kept scratching Drogon and Rheagal, its screech was deafening and slashed the sky. The three dragons started swirling in the air: Jon and Daenerys were struggling not to fall, so commanded Drogon and Rhaegal let go of it; the three little dragons surrounded the ice dragons promptly, and Daenerys screamed "Dracarys". The ice dragon that used to be her son, burned before her eyes. She felt the pain of a mother, and hoped to see the Night King burn with what used to be her beloved Viseryon. But the Night King did not burn; he fell to the ground and landed amongst his soldiers, untouched. Daenerys and Jon unleashed all the dragons against him and tried again. The Night King was immune to fire, it did not matter how much and for how long they tried. He grinned and lifted his arms. The soldiers that had fallen came back to life, and a violent and blinding snow storm started. Daenerys and Jon could not distinguish their army from the dead anymore, using the dragons to fight the dead would have been too dangerous: the risk of killing the Unsullied or the Dothraki was too high.

Wolves, Dothraki, and Unsullied were fighting together against the dead, while the dragons were trying to get close enough to help. It went on for hours. Until the dead breached the eastern gate and a stream of live corpses invaded Winterfell.

The wolves opened a way for Arya, who was exhausted after closing hundreds of blue eyes, and seeing more rise again; she could now attempt to enter the castle; she was nearly close to the south wall when a dead giant attacked her: she tried to hit him with her arrows, hoping he would have fallen to the ground, so she could have killed him, but her attempts led to nothing; she then seized her special halberd, and every time the giant came close to her with his hands, she would chop his fingers by rotating the blades in the air; the giant launched himself at her, when Beric pushed her away, and was trampled by the giant; Arya stabbed it in the eye and he fell completely on the ground lifeless. She went close to Beric, to try and help him, but he screamed "Go" when he saw a bunch of dead soldiers aiming for her. Nymeria and Ghost covered her, attacking the neck of every dead soldier standing between her and the castle.

Daenerys and Jon dismounted in the courtyard and sent the dragons away: in the snow storms, if the dragons had stayed on the ground, a swarm of dead soldiers would have climbed them; if they had flown and used dragon fire from above the ground, they would have risked burning the wrong soldiers; for now, then, the dragons were going to glide on the battlefield, pick dead soldiers, and burn them in the air, while Jon and Daenerys would helped those in the castle.

"Fall back" screamed the leads of the armies.

Brienne could see Jon, Daenerys, Melisandre, and Arya coming: she and Jamie cleared the passage for them to enter the armory, and then kept fighting to protect the door.

As soon as he entered the armory, Jon screamed "The Night King cannot be killed with fire.".

Tyrion looked at Daenerys in terror. Daenerys nodded.

"How do we kill him then?" stammered Sam.

"Bran can travel in people. He told me he was going to try and control the Night King, if we did not find a solution." Sansa confessed.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stop him?" yelled Jon.

"I did not tell you because you would have stopped him. And because I think we have to fight in any way we can." answered Sansa.

"He is our brother!" insisted Jon.

"Not anymore... he is the three eyed raven." said Sansa firmly, almost to try to convince herself as well.

"Didn't you say that Night King sees him?" asked Tyrion.

"He said he will try when the Night King will be very close to him." explained Sansa.

"What if Bran does not succeed?" asked Arya.

"We will try with Valyrian steel weapons." stated Sam.

"When he affected the past, ruining Hodor's mind, he caused damage." tried to say Tyrion.

"How could there be more damage than this?" roared Sansa.

"What if he gets trapped?" insisted Sam.

"He was not aware of what he was doing then. He said he would now. Let's go to him." rushed Sansa.

In the meantime, Sir Jorah and the others had arrived to White Harbor: they were boarding the ships, in the hope they would have never had to leave Westeros. Only the army was still left on the shore, when the tide started getting lower and lower. From a far people could see white waves freezing into small hills, then growing into white mountains which were getting higher and higher on the seabed, now dry: all the water was freezing building a wall that trapped them in the bay, so they could not go anywhere. The people who had already disembarked alerted the others: two White Walkers and a small dead army was reaching them. Sir Jorah, Grey Worm, and Lady Lyanna Mormont, whom Sir Jorah had to bag against her will to take her away from the battle, seized their swords, ready to face the enemy. How was it possible that the Walkers knew they would have been in White Harbor?

The battle was raging in Winterfell: it did not matter how many dead soldiers were destroyed, the Night King would use Dothraki, Unsullied, and Northmen corpses to replenish his army.

Bran was waiting for the Night King to come, and, before Jon could reach him, the Night King came. Theon and his men fought the best they could to at least decimate the dead who were accompanying their king, but they fell soon enough, trying to protect Bran. It was just the Night King and Bran now, getting closer and closer, and then Bran's eyes went white.

Jon, Daenerys, Melisandre, Arya, Sansa, and Sam reached the Godswood. They saw the Night King freezing for just a moment. Jon and Arya stepped forward, ready to kill, but whatever Bran was trying did not last long enough for them to act.

Bran came back to his own body, and then everything happened within seconds. Bran screamed "I have to stop the Children of the Forest, at the moment when they created him." and his eyes went white again.

Sam and Sansa screamed "No". Sam turned to Jon and Daenerys "He will get trapped there. The magic is too strong. He will forget who he was and he will lose himself.".

It was too late for them to stop Bran: he was gone, and the Night King was now moving towards them, with his unsheathed sword. They were immobilised, trapped for a moment in a cloud of torpor made of despair, terror, horror, and confusion.

Sansa's mind awoke with a new awareness: "Don't you see? This is why the Night King always knew where Bran was, and brought spears when Daenerys came to save Jon beyond the wall. Bran is the Night King." she yelled.

Jon seized his sword. Melisandre took the blade in her hands, stabbed herself in the heart, and disappeared in the wind. Long Claw caught on fire, and Jon, shaken and shocked, had not time to think: he had to start fighting the Night King, now in front of him. A sword stroke, and Jon realised how strong his enemy and his sword were. A sword stroke, and another, and another, until Jon lost his balance and fell. The Night King, with his foot, smashed Jon's right arm, making it impossible for him to hold his sword: he had to fight with his left arm. A sword stroke, and another, and another, and Jon fell again, on his knees.

Daenerys did not think. Before the Night King's sword could finish the man she loved, she glided on Jon's left, grabbed his hand and, together, they stabbed him. The Night King shattered in a thousand pieces. They held their breath, expecting the battle to end. But it did not end.

Two dead Dothraki soldiers attacked Brienne, who was now guarding the door, and pinned her to the ground.

Jamie ran to help her, he freed her, and started fighting the dead Dothraki. Brienne tried to stand up to help him, but her leg failed her. She tried to gather her strength to rise, she lost sight of him for only a few instants. A clang, another, and then another, and then she saw Jamie again, falling in a pool filled with his blood.

"Nooooooo. Nooooo, sir Jamie...Sir Jamie..." Brienne screamed and, desperately, pushed herself to rise, and keep fighting, to reach him, to help him.

In the Godswood, those who could fight started fighting against the dead. Sansa grabbed Arya: "Bran's eyes are still white. Where is he? He was in the Night King, now where is he? Unless..."

"Unless what?" asked Arya, fearing the answer.

"Unless he is in the White Walkers too.".

"How can it be? How do we bring him back?" asked Arya. She already knew the answer, and for that she started crying.

"We can't". Sansa held her breath, and, with death in her heart , grabbed Arya's dagger, got to Bran, and stabbed him in the chest.

The army of the dead fell to the ground, the White Walkers shattered like the Night King had done.

The people in White Harbor had just started fighting the White Walkers, when they suddenly saw the Whites disintegrate; they saw the mountains of ice blowing in the winds like leaves, and the tide slowly coming in again.

Sansa started shaking. Daenerys got to her and held her while she was falling on the ground; she kept holding her when she started crying. Jon and Arya, got to her too, kneeled beside her, and put their hands on her shoulders: they all broke down quietly, together, embraced by the Dragon Queen.

Brienne lifted Jamie's head in her arms "Try to resist Sir Jamie, we will take care of you.".

"You took already care of me: I wish things had been different in this life...but...I die as the man I would have wanted to be...a knight... and..I wish...in another life...You are a knight... and beautiful...thank you for ...for believing I was more...more than...more...I wish...". Tyrion had reached them, but it was too late: his brother was gone, a little after the child he had thrown out of the broken tower years before.

The entire day had passed, it was nearly sunset, so when the darkness dissipated from above them, the saw the light again, and it looked like the Sun was rising in the West.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Episode 4 - The last of the monsters

Season 8 - Episode 4

**The last of the monsters**

* * *

Winterfell

* * *

After the battle of Winterfell, Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen had accepted Lady Sansa Stark's suggestion and hospitality: the armies would have stayed in the North for a few weeks, as they had lost half of their soldiers, and who was left needed to recover. Beyond that, Daenerys knew that Jon, Sansa, and Arya needed some time to grieve together, and she wanted to give them that time.

* * *

In the Broken Tower

* * *

In the tower from which his brother had thrown Bran years before, the tower where it all started, Tyrion was hiding from curious eyes with the Spider.

"And she said: 'What if it was because a Stark, descendant of the First Men, is supposed to lead the realm of men?' " asked Varys.

"Yes, I told you. This is what Sansa said during the battle." answered Tyrion.

"Have you asked her since then?"

"No, I do not want to make her suspicious.".

"What if she only meant that Daenerys might marry Jon? That way he would get to lead the realm of men.".

"Then why didn't she say so?"

"I thought Daenerys would have never shared her throne, and, even if she did, Jon wouldn't have wanted it. This is what I had hoped would divide them. The bloody throne." Varys paused, incredulous "Instead, it seems, their love made them grow out of their weaknesses.".

"I had counted more on Sansa's jealousy to break them. She stayed with Joffrey even after he ordered Ned Stark to kill her dog, just to be queen. She did not want to leave King's Landing ever when her father ordered her to, just to be queen. I thought she would have hated Daenerys, and manipulated Jon in destroying her". Tyrion was hesitant "Instead, she seems to have defeated the monsters inside her as well.".

"It was not a dog, but a direwolf, Lord Tyrion."

"That is useless information now, isn't it? Now, Jamie's gone, and Cersei will be massacred. It was all for nothing.".

"I am sorry Jamie ended at the bottom of the pyre and you could not see him a last time. What a shame.".

"I'd rather remember him alive. And I shall resent him anyway, for leaving me alone with Cersei."

"We tried to warn her. She did not help. Oh, well... Everyone despises him, but it is always the Spider that has to fix things." concluded Varys complacently.

"What are you planning to do?"

"The more she loves, the more she has to lose. And nothing can't be accomplished with tears of Lys. Afterall, in the North there must still be some useless peasant that hates the King in the North for bending the knee to the foreign whore; we will blame it on him.".

"And you think this would make her angry enough?"

Varys smiled malignly "It might. If not, we will kill everyone she loves one by one. And that should do.".

* * *

In the Royal chambers

* * *

Daenerys was trying to convince Sir Jorah to accept a prize for everything he had done for her.

"I would like to give you a title. I know you like Lady Lyanna very much, but Bear Island is yours as well."

"I am happier serving you, Your Grace."

"I know. And I am grateful for that. But I wish I could give you something else for your life, you deserved it.".

"I was a broken man when I met you. You gave me the chance to have my honour back."

"You are so good to me, and I know I do not deserve it, so you actually make me angry" smiled Daenerys, and then continued solemnly "I had never had a family: I had my brother, of course, but he did not love anybody but himself; I had my husband, but, as soon as we had gotten close, I lost him. When I think of family, the only face I see is yours. I do not know where I would be without you."

Jorah kneeled before her and kissed her hands "You will never have to know that." He raised, and his face became very serious: "I have to talk to you about something.".

"You seem worried".

"I am a little. I am afraid you will not take enough care of yourself. But I will say it anyway.", he smiled to reassure her, like one does with a little girl to make her behave properly.

Daenerys became very curious.

Jorah continued "Your Grace, have I talked to you about what we saw in White Harbor?"

"Not really, you only said you were trapped and the White Walkers came. Bran knew you were there of course."

"Yes. Well, you see...when the Walkers arrived, darkness rose right after dawn, so it looked like the Sun was setting in the East. Then, when they attacked us, the sea froze before our eyes into mountains, and the seabed was left without water... dry, Your Grace."

"That must have been very frightening..." Daenerys said. She, then, went silent and deep in thought.

Jorah pressed her "Quite. But then when, as we learned later, Lady Stark stabbed the boy...It was such a wonderful thing to see, Your Grace, such powerful magic: suddenly we saw the mountains of ice blowing in the winds like leaves. It should have been nearly sunset, so when we saw the light again, it looked like the Sun was rising in the West, and the sea that had run dry, and got filled again.

She was now staring in his eyes "What did you just say?" asked Daenerys, frantically.

Jorah smiled "We saw the sun rising in the West and setting in the East, the seas going dry and the mountains blowing in the winds like leaves...Your Grace..." said Jorah smiling.

Daenerys started laughing and crying at the same time. "Oh, Sir Jorah!" she cried, and she threw herself in his arms.

* * *

In the Armory

* * *

Arya went to visit Gendry. The Queen had made him Lord the night before, to reward his services and since, even if he was as bastard, he was the last Baratheon.

"You managed to stay alive.".

Gendry turned around and saw Arya "How are you?"

"Why are you still forging weapons? You are a lord now."

"Yes, but another war is coming: the Queen would like her armies to be well equipped. And this is what I can do. I have no army, I can't fight, but I can forge weapons. She asked me for something else too, in fact..." Gendry stopped and changed the topic "I am sorry about your brother." he tried to get close to her to hold her but she moved away.

"I am tired to lose people I love" Arya said, and then she started crying. "Don't hug me.".

"I am not hugging you." and then he hugged her.

She calmed down. Gendry let her go: "Can I ask you something? We have known each other a long time. I know you care for me. And now I could actually... You do not have to answer now, but I cannot leave Winterfell without asking you. Would you consider...I would be honoured if you would consider becoming my wife?"

"I want to be a knight."

"I did not ask you not to be a knight. I asked you to be my wife."

"I want to travel."

"I would not stop you. I could go with you if you wanted me to."

"I do not know if I want children."

"I do not know either. There is time for that.".

"So you would be happy if I were a knight, if I travelled, and if I did not want to have children?"

"I am saying I love you, you, Arya Stark, I know who you are. I love that you fight into battle, I love that you are adventurous, that you are courageous, and I want to make you happy, and that for all these years seeing you again was the only thing for which I have prayed."

"What about what makes you happy?"

"I am happy when we tease each other." he managed to kiss her on the nose before she nearly hit him.

"You are so weird..." she said, annoyed at herself for wanting to say yes "I have some things to do first and then we will see.".

"Well, I am weird, but you are thinking about it anyway, admit it." he provoked her.

"Oh, piss off" told him Arya, and then left.

* * *

In Sansa's chambers

* * *

When they had burned those who had died in the battle, burning Bran's body had broken Sansa. Daenerys knocked on her door, and she found her looking out of the window, the food that was brought to her before was untouched. It had been that way for days.

Daenerys approached her gently "Thank you for the orders you gave your men. They are fixing broken weapons, curing my men, and feeding my dragons.".

Sansa nodded "Of course.".

Daenerys went close to her. Sansa had been avoiding her siblings and her since the night of the battle.

"For how long had you known?" asked Daenerys, trying to look in Sansa's eyes.

Sansa kept looking out of the window, but then surrendered to Daenerys: she had learned that the Dragon Queen always won her battles. "I am not sure." Sansa started thinking "Tyrion told me about that tale, and, when Bran said he was going to try to control the Night King, I remembered what Sam had told me, that Bran could get stuck. I did not know really, and then, suddenly, it all made sense: why the Night King was ready for killing the dragons beyond the Wall, why he could always find Bran." she paused "He hates me, doesn't he?". This was the first time that Sansa had talked about what had happened in the Godswood, and of her fears after that.

Dany realised Sansa was talking about Jon "He adores you. He is worried for you...the pain you are feeling now. You have been through so much."

"It is not just that." Sansa said.

"Tell me.".

"You know who would have killed her brother without a thought? Cersei. And Ramsey did not have any issue killing his father. What have I become? I am no Stark. I turned into a Lannister, or worse, a Bolton. ".

Daenerys took her hand "You did it to protect us. Not for power, not for revenge: you did it to save us all. You were the only one who understood what was happening, and you saved us all."

"I killed my brother.".

Daenerys hesitated, and then said "I killed my brother too.".

Sansa did not expect this.

Daenerys continued "Viserys was obsessed with getting to Westeros, with the Dothraki, and take back the iron throne; but I was pregnant, and my husband wanted to wait. Viserys had hit me before, he was cruel and violent, but when he threatened to cut me open and take my child out, my husband did not take it well. Drogo killed my brother in front of me. And I did not stop him."

Sansa took a deep breath and let go of her darkest thought "I am jealous of you, of Jon, of the fact that you are queen." she finally confessed.

Daenerys smiled "Are you planning on killing me for it?"

"No, I would never...".

"Are you thinking of betraying me or your brother?"

"No. Of course not. "

"Then you are nothing like Cersei. It is not what you feel in a specific moment, or your name, that define you. It is the choices you make that tell the world who you are. How you fight the monsters inside you. You were a good leader for Winterfell, whilst Jon was away; you love your family: I see it from the way you study me, to make sure I am good to them; you are smart, and you learned from your past, you have grown. I have just met you, and this is whom I see. This is who you are.".

Every day Sansa understood more and more why Jon loved Daenerys so much. "Instead of envying you, I can learn from you. I admire you." Sansa said.

"And I admire you. We can learn from each other." Daenerys smiled.

"Can I come in?" Jon was standing on the door.

"The queen is being very good to me, Jon." Sansa told her brother.

Jon looked at Daenerys lovingly and kissed her forehead. Then hugged Sansa, obsequiously, with his left arm, as the right one still hurt. "I am sorry I was not the one that found out. I am sorry I was not the one who killed him. I am supposed to protect you from pain, and I failed.".

"Jon, you wanted to leave, and I forced you to take back Winterfell. I wanted you not to go South, yet you went and thanks to that we are still alive. What do you wanna do more than this?"

"Seeing you happy. And I do not seem to be able to make that happen." answered Jon.

"Well, maybe this is no time for "happy" for me. Maybe this is the time for "safe". And you are being good at that." she smiled to her brother.

"Bran was gone the day he became the three eyed raven; what you had to end was something else. Accepting that is going to be hard. But this is why we are here." reassured her Jon.

They were interrupted by the sudden slamming of the door. Arya walked in and tossed Varys' head on the floor.

She looked at Daenerys and said "We need to talk about your advisors.".

* * *

In the Crypts

* * *

Arya, Daenerys, Jon, Sansa, Sir Jorah, Missandei, and Grey Worm were now meeting in secret.

Jon, for the first time, was seeing this side of Arya, and he felt frightened: not for himself, but because he now saw how much his beloved little sister had suffered, and where that pain had led her.

Daenerys needed to sit down: she could not believe she had trusted a Lannister, and she could not believe she had trusted the Spider, a man who had tried to kill her once before.

Sansa asked Arya "What did you find out?"

"Did you know about this?" asked Jon looking at Sansa.

"Arya and I did not trust Tyrion, nor Varys, so, with Missandei, Grey Worm, and Sir Jorah, we have been following their moves, intercepting their ravens. We have a system to cross each other in the corridors, and exchange information on their whereabouts and meetings." explained Sansa. Seeing how much Jon and Daenerys were in shock, she tried to console them "We have been South longer than you two. We tend not to trust people.".

"Why weren't we informed?" asked Daenerys, visibly upset.

"We did not want to worry you, Your Grace, in case we had been wrong." said Missandei.

"Varys was about to poison you with tears of Lys." said Arya to Jon. "He and Tyrion met in the Broken Tower. They wanted to break you two apart, and since their plan did not work, Varys decided to poison you. After their meeting, Varys was headed to the kitchens. I could not let him live, he would have hurt you.".

Daenerys felt like she was about to faint.

"We now have a better idea of what their plan was." said Sir Jorah. "From the messages we read, and the meetings we spied, we believe their aim was to drive you insane, Your Grace, killing the ones you love, one by one. They want to make you so angry and desperate, that you would not be able to control yourself.".

"Why?" asked Daenerys, her eyes were filled with tears, but she was trying to control herself. She was angry, because she had trusted Tyrion and Varys, but most of all she was scared they could succeed. All of her life she had to fight her family's blood, the expectations that came with it. What if she couldn't? What if she had lost everyone she loved, again? She started shaking. Jon held her.

Arya took Daenerys' hand "We will not let anything happen to you.".

"Why would they want to drive you mad, though? If anything, you would be more dangerous." Jon was beside her, like always, and reasoning out loud.

"I believe they want to push our queen to use the dragons to storm King's Landing." suggested Missandei.

"But that is insane. Millions of people would die. Cersei would die." Jon was in shock as well.

"Cersei would have a plan to escape. She always has a plan." responded Sansa.

Daenerys understood "And if I burned King's Landing, people would see my father in me. People already do."

"There would be riots. All the noble Houses, led by the army of House Lannister, would go into war to ban the Targaryens from the seven Kingdoms, forever. Then Cersei would become the queen people chose." explained Missandei.

"Why didn't she kill me directly then? She is already the queen." Daenerys was exasperated.

"But people hate her, and are waiting for a saviour. Instead, if she freed the Seven Kingdoms from you, she would have their loyalty, the only thing she cannot buy. Besides, you fought the dead for her: this way, your army was decimated, not hers." explained Sansa.

"We must be careful now." Jon went pensive.

"We can go two ways about this: we can kill Tyrion and get rid of the most imminent problem, but, in that case, Cersei would send others to finish this, and we would not know from where the attack would be coming; or we can pretend nothing happened and let Tyrion unearth his plans: we would have to make him believe we know nothing, actually make him believe we started fighting each other." reasoned Arya.

"He is smart" said Daenerys, now drained of her strength.

Sansa took Daenerys' hand "You are smarter. Plus, he is alone. You are not. We are here."

"I think we should pretend we know nothing. This would give us some advantage on them." Jon looked at Daenerys for her approval, and she nodded.

"Though, Varys' head is on the floor in front of us. How can we hide his death?" asked Jon.

"Leave that to me. The rest of you, be careful, and play their game. I have a plan." said Arya.

* * *

In the Great Hall

* * *

Lyanna Mormont stood up while the North and the court of Daenerys Targaryen were celebrating the victory in the great hall.

"Your Grace, without you, we'd be dead. You saved us, and you did not ask for anything in return. You saved the king we chose, and you fought for us, even if we did not want to swear allegiance to you. I will join my uncle, and pledge house Mormont to you." and she bent the knee in front of the Queen. One by one, the head of all houses said "Aye", and kneeled in front of Daenerys Targaryen.

"My Lords and Ladies, I am grateful for the faith you have in me. Thank you." said Daenerys emotionally, then she stood up, and a solemn silence filled the room: "I know what this means to you, and I am deeply honoured you put your faith in me." she looked at Jon. "Together we defeated the monsters who wanted to end men, and ahead of us, a battle with monsters who do not care if, and how, much of their people suffer; monsters who have decimated the great houses of the North. Life does not give us much happiness, but we do have a choice. We can choose to walk away, to hide from what we want and who we are, or we can fight for a better world. There are many types of monsters in this life, but whatever the type, we can choose to fight them for a better life, and, even if we might not succeed in our lifetime, we can change our destiny and the one of the people around us; and that will be our legacy."

A thundering applause made the room vibrate.

Daenerys looked at Jon. Jon smiled.

She waited for silence again, and then she continued "I want to reward the North for its loyalty, and I think that having a Warden of the North would not give you justice. I know you wanted independence for the North, I do not think that that would be wise. But I decided that the North, whilst always being a part of the Seven Kingdoms, could be cared for specially by a Queen in the North, that will know your best interests better than the crown would ever do. Lady Stark..."

The entire room was holding their breath, and Sansa could not believe her eyes, her ears, Daenerys' heart.

"For your intelligence, your strength, your sacrifices, for the wisdom with which you ruled the North, for the loyalty you had for me, I want to name you Queen in the North." stated the Queen.

Daenerys knew Arya had told them to play at Tyrion's game, but she wanted to surprise Sansa with this gift, and they would have played their game from here. Arya knew what to do.

In fact, Arya threw her ale on the floor and left the room angrily.

The Lord and Ladies were now really umcorfortable: clearly Arya Stark wanted to guide the North, in her sister's place.

Sansa felt drunk, she tried to stand, but she could not. She truly did not know what was happening.

Gendry brought forward the crown that Daenerys had asked him to forge: it had six direwolf heads on the front, one for every Stark sibling, including Jon, surrounded by red leaves. So her brothers and sister would always be with her.

Daenerys started solemnly. "Sansa Stark, will you be loyal to me, Queen Daenerys of house Targaryen, and preserve the appartainance of the North to the Seven Kingdoms, and all derived rights and privileges, as established by the laws of the Seven Kingdoms?"

Sansa could not believe Daenerys was really doing this. It was dangerous for her, to have Tyrion think they got along. She answered: "I will.".

Daenerys continued: "Will you solemnly promise to govern the People of the North, according to their respective laws and customs, unless these are in conflict with the laws of the Seven Kingdoms?"

"I solemnly promise so to do."

"Arise from your chair, Sansa Stark, Queen in the North."

"The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. May the Old Gods help me." swore Sansa.

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen enthroned Sansa of House Stark Queen in the North.

The people in the room were all touched: they stood up, and, with one voice, they started celebrating "The Queen in the North." "The Queen in the North". "The Queen in the North"...

Tears of joy were running on Sansa's cheeks, she could not help it.

* * *

In the Royal chambers

* * *

Daenerys was thinking about the vision she had had years before, at the House of the Undying: the throne room, and the iron throne, covered in ashes, and, after that, Drogo and her child. She realised that meant that, if she had burned King's Landing, she would have died. She was scared. What if she was supposed to become the mad queen? What if all that she had suffered had been for nothing?

Sansa entered her Queen's chambers "I have no words for what you did for me today. Thank you. I would have never presumed...Thank you...I will not disappoint you." and she hugged Daenerys.

"You deserve it. And you could never disappoint me." smiled Daenerys.

Sansa smiled back, but caught the shadows in Daenerys' eyes.

Daenerys said "Their plan could work. They must have seen violence in me, maybe the hint a monster. Otherwise they would have killed me."

"What violence? What monster? The one that fought a war that wasn't hers, to save people that distrusted her? The one that gave away a kingdom today? The one that nearly died for us?"

"After a battle, I killed those who would not bend the knee to me.".

"You did what any leader would have done. Do not let them treat you differently because you are a woman."

"What if I am like my father?"

"What did you say to me today?"

"I told you many things..."

"You said: _'It is not what you feel in a specific moment, or your name that define you. It is the choices you make that tell the world who you are. How you fight the monsters inside you.'_ " reminded her Sansa "Come back from your thoughts. You are not mad. Look at me."

Daenerys looked at Sansa with wet eyes "I am scared of going mad like my father, of losing everything.".

"Who is going mad?" Jon asked mockingly, entering the room.

Sansa left discreetly "Jon, talk to her.", and closed the door behind her.

"What is it?" asked Jon, folding Dany in his arms.

"I do not want to hurt innocents. I do not want to die." she pressed her face on his shoulder.

"You won't. Do you think I would let you die? How could I breathe if you died?" he tried to reassure her.

"I do not want to lose you."

"You will never lose me. You could never. Never. They want to hurt you, don't let them succeed, don't let them make you doubt yourself. This is a game to them, not to you. I know who you are, I see you, I see your heart, how beautiful and pure your dreams are. We will take a day at the time from now on, rest, and eat, and take care of each other. Don't think about what could happen, think of now. I am here now, and you are not mad." he kissed her nose "Breathe. Let some light in between your thoughts. Can you think of something pleasant?".

She muffled in her tears "What has happened to you? I thought you brooded more than me."

"Not since I met you, I don't" he said, and then kissed her nose again.

Daenerys sadness broke and a smile made its way on her beautiful face, and in her eyes . "Actually, I meant to tell you something" she remembered, and that thought made her beam "Do you remember that prophecy I received, from the witch who killed my husband?_ 'When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves.'_ ?... About having children I mean."

"Yes..." Jon started holding his breath.

"Well, during the battle against the dead, some magical occurrences took place..."

Jon had understood, and started beaming too. "Keep talking..." he encouraged her.

"I think I am pregnant.".

He lifted her up in the air, his right arm hurt bad but he did not care; he kissed her hands, her forehead, her nose, and her, and embraced her again. He had never thought he would be happy in his life, and then he met Daenerys Targaryen, and he was born again, to a happiness he did not even think to be possible. She was now reassured she was loved, seen, safe, and, she now realised, that was all she needed.

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Episode 5 - Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

Season 8 - Episode 5

**The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms**

Back in Winterfell, Starks and Targaryens had to plan very carefully how to play at Cersei's game now. They had five dragons, two of whom were fully grown: that was, in fact, on its own, the most powerful weapon, though they could not use it. Half of the Dothraki and the Unsullied had fallen in the battle against the dead and had been burned on the pyre.

Yara Greyjoy had taken back the Iron Islands, and she had a small fleet and a few men at her command to join the fight if needed. She was in much pain when she learned about Theon, but at the same time, from the words she had written, Daenerys could tell she was proud that her brother had died fighting.

From what they had gathered spying Tyrion, Cersei was huddling all the people in the surroundings of King's Landing inside the city's walls; the Golden Company would have stationed a big part of the soldiers inside the walls as well. Cersei had made it so that the only way for Daenerys to take the city was taking the fight inside it, this was clear now. Surely Cersei would not have waited in the Red Keep either, and she would have had a plan to escape quickly; therefore, attacking directly the Red Keep with the dragons would have led to nothing. The crossbow that Jamie had tried to use on the dragons had proven effective, so Cersei would have built more of those now. And in all of this, they could only hope Varys was the only one Cersei had designated to rip Daenerys apart killing all that she held dear.

After weeks spent in Winterfell restoring the army and planning the battle, Daenerys and Jon, Daenerys' advisors, the army of the Northmen, the Unsullied, the Dothraki, the dragons, all travelled South to end Cersei once and for all. Nobody had seen Arya since Sansa's coronation.

Grey Worm was leading the armies on the Kingsroad, while the others sailed to Dragonstone with part of the Unsullied and the dragons.

Sansa sailed South as well. It was true, there had to always be a Stark in Winterfell, but beyond helping and sustaining Daenerys, she wanted to see King's Landing as a free woman, and Cersei as an equal: she wanted to overcome that pain, she wanted to see Cersei die, as she saw Ramsey. Lady Lyanna Mormont would have stayed in Winterfell for Sansa, until the end of the war.

They had gotten to Dragonstone undisturbed, which could only mean one thing: Cersei was really convinced she would have succeeded.

* * *

**Dragonstone: In Tyrion's chambers**

* * *

"Tell me why you decided not to kill Jon Snow in Winterfell. You seemed so sure you wanted to get on with it." said Tyrion to Varys.

"Daenerys had decided to wait in Winterfell before attacking King's Landing. We want her to be as angry as possible. She would have had time to calm down by now. We want her rage to escalate quickly. I would not want to displease your sister."

"I wouldn't either." Tyrion poured himself another cup of wine. It was his forth.

"Any news from her? Any new ideas for the battle?"

"No, we know everything she wanted us to know. What about you? You have been very quiet lately. Are you questioning your decisions?"

"It is a very delicate time, Tyrion. One mistake and they will find out. One mistake and we will be burned alive."

"It would be a shame after all these years. I have to admit that I am really annoyed. I have always thought I was superior for my intelligence. Instead Cersei had planned this much better than what I would have. She knew that she would have lost a fight with the Dragon Queen, so she planned how to get rid of Daenerys Targaryen at the right time, in a way that would have been useful for us Lannisters."

"I was surprised you wanted to go along with this, considering what Cersei did to you, throughout your life. You are desperate for her approval. Being named Hand of the Queen by Daenerys Targaryen did not shake your being a Lannister. And you are back to your old habits as well" Varys hinted to the wine "Why?"

"You know, I think that over the years I started hating to see people happy. The way with which they look at each other, love, makes me envious. I am miserable and I have always been miserable. Mostly for my doing really: instead of finding a decent woman, living in peace somewhere, I kept being a drunk, sleeping with prostitutes, to deal with the pain of being me. There is a dark pit in my heart, and now I just want everyone to plunge in the dark hole of loneliness that my life has been."

"Daenerys had given you trust though, a position. That should have brought you to the light." Varys stood up and went towards the door.

"It did for a while, but then she fell for Jon, and I would have become nothing to her anyway. At least with Cersei I can be nothing with my family's gold. "

"What about the people?"

"We are all born, we live in misery, of means or of heart, and then we die. No queen can change that."

"Mm. It is such a waste. A real shame you feel that way." Varys opened the door "Guards!"

Grey Worm and another soldier entered the room at Varys' command and grabbed Tyrion by his arms.

"What is happening?" Fear filled Tyrion's eyes "You deceived me." he told Varys.

"Yes, I suppose this is what you see." Varys looked at the guards. "Take him away and guard him day and night. He mustn't talk to anyone, nor send any letters. Do not believe anything he says. He is a traitor."

* * *

**King's Landing: royal chambers**

* * *

"Has the little whore gotten to Dragonstone then?" asked Cersei.

"Yes. Why didn't you let me do anything?" asked Euron, who by this point was really bored, and resting half naked on Cersei's bed. He had stayed in King's Landing for months, no action at all. He had gotten some action with the queen of course, and in all the city brothels, but he was craving the killing now.

"Varys advised to wait, Tyrion seemed to agree. I thought they were right: we should not give her the time to come to peace with the deaths, we should destroy her world at once. Have you loaded your ships with the crossbows?"

"Yes."

"Remember to kill just the small ones, and, if needed, one of the grown ones. We need to leave her at least one dragon to attack the city."

"Sure. How is Varys going to do it?"

"Tears of Lys. So her beloved bastard and her Naath whore will die suddenly before the battle."

"We will be left with a mad Targaryen with a dragon. That does not seem smart to me."

"We will not be left with anything. We will flee as soon as she starts burning the city. We will leave the last of the crossbows with the Golden Company to end the last dragon at the right time."

"Do they know about all this?"

"Of course not. Should I tell their captain I am planning to leave them to fight Dothraki and Unsullied, in a city that is being burned by a dragon?" Cersei replied sarcastically.

There was a knock on the door.

Qyburn entered the room "Your Grace, everything is in place for the battle. In a way or another, the city will be ablaze."

Cersei looked out of the window to a city teeming with forgotten lives "Burn them, burn them all."

* * *

**Dragonstone: Royal chambers**

* * *

Missandei had finished drawing a bath for the Queen. "Your Grace, please come and rest. The water is warm."

"Where is Jon?"

"He and his sisters are making sure that everything is going to be how you want it, Your Grace."

"Please ask them to come here. You come back here as well."

"It will be done. Now, please rest. Come here, the water is warm."

Daenerys let Missandei put her in the tub.

"Your Grace, if I may..." Missandei stopped.

"Continue, please."

"Even if you lost us, what do you think would happen to you?"

"I would be lost as well."

"What you are would not change even without us. Even if you were to lose us all, remember how we see you, what we think of you."

Daenerys lowered her eyes, now filled with tears.

Missandei continued "I was a slave. I am the advisor of a queen now; Grey Worm was not even considered a human, and now we have each other, we know love, respect, care and you gave us that. You saved hundreds of lives from oblivion. Hold onto that, whatever happens. Don't let them tell you who to be. Don't forget who you are. Do not forget what you did.".

Daenerys took Missandei's hand "Even so, don't leave me."

"Never.".

Daenerys closed her eyes to rest, without leaving Missandei's hand, and when she opened them again, she realised she had slept a little while; Missandei was still holding her hand, and Jon was pouring more hot water in the tub, so she would not be cold. Sansa was walking in with a plate full of fruit, bread, and cheese. They were all smiling to her now that she was awake. She thought she could not lose them, and that Cersei really needed to die.

They helped her out of the tub. Missandei left and they started eating.

Varys appeared on the door. "It's done."

They all lowered their eyes, in sadness.

"I am sorry your trust was misplaced. You couldn't have known" Varys said to Daenerys "Do you feel sorry for him?" he then asked to Sansa, who seemed particularly shaken.

"Yes. And I feel sympathy for him. It is hard not to be envious when everybody seems to have more than you."

"I do not think he had less. I think he could not see what he had. His intelligence, the wealth he would have had if we had defeated Cersei, respect, affection. He was blind, and now he is paying for it." answered Varys. "He is a Lannister, after all. And he didn't fight it."

"I could have ended as he did." underlined Sansa.

"I know. But you didn't. Try to keep it that way." responded Varys bitterly.

Sansa was annoyed "Are you ever going to be you again?"

"I forgot" Varys removed his face, and there Arya was.

Jon and Daenerys were fascinated and frightened, and could not even speak after seeing Varys' face coming off.

"Better?" Arya asked her sister.

"Only slightly. Let's eat now. I am starving" teased her Sansa.

* * *

**The battle**

* * *

Before being captured, Tyrion had warned Cersei that was the morning Daenerys would have attacked. It was time. At the Blackwater bay, Euron Greyjoy was waiting with his fleet, and the crossbows, ready to hurt the Dragon Queen. The sky was clear, the dragons couldn't have hidden behind the clouds. Tired of looking up, Euron started resting his eyes, looking at the horizon: there were no signs of the dragons, or of their mother, but his heart stopped when he saw that Iron Islands sails and Targaryens ships were approaching them really quickly.

The day before, what Tyrion thought would happen was that Jon would have been poisoned and that Danaerys would have flown thought Blackwater Bay. She, instead, had decided to fly back North, and had reached her army on the Kingsroad. She had decided to take with her only Drogon and Rhaegal, and left the other three at Dragonstone. She had tried to have Jorah, Sansa, Arya, Jon, and Missandei to stay in Dragonstone as well, to protect them, but they refused.

"Are you asking me to hide and send the woman I love, who is carrying my child, into war, alone?" asked Jon concerned.

"I am sworn to protect you, that is my purpose." remarked Jorah, sweetly, as always.

"You are not killing Cersei without me." Arya was really serious about this.

"Your Grace, I am your advisor. And the man I love is leading your army. I can't stay here." pointed out Missandei.

"The last time it seemed I proved to be useful. And what if they attack Dragonstone while you're gone?" asked Sansa.

She had a point. Sansa always had a point. Daenerys was feeling more and more anxious. At least she had obtained to have them flying with her. So now there they were, all together, facing the walls of King's Landing, surrounded by the Golden Company. The dragons were carefully hiding behind the Dothraki line, flattened to the floor, so they could not get hit by spears.

* * *

Yara was guiding the fleets against her uncle. She had wanted this moment to come since her father died. That stupid prick was pointing his crossbows at her, as if that was enough to stop her. She was imprisoned, she had lost her brother: maybe even if he had hit her in the heart, he could not have stopped her. When her uncle's men were about to release the spears, she screamed "Now", and all the ships under her command tacked. Euron's men missed and had to reposition the crossbows. Once they were ready to throw again, Yara screamed "Now": they tacked their way to Euron's ships, being barely hit only a few times. Archers from Yara's boats hit Euron's sails and men with burning arrows. Euron's men had started abandoning ships; Yara ordered half of her men to follow her uncle's soldiers to the coast to slaughter them, and the rest to board her uncle's ships with her. She saw Euron trying to jump in the sea, but she boarded his ship faster, and now she was facing him. Finally.

* * *

All around the walls crossbows were pointed at Daenerys' army. She turned towards her soldiers, Dothaki and Unsullied who had chosen to follow her, to fight for her. Taking back Westeros was what pushed her through the desert, the loneliness, the violence, the pain, her reason for being. The idea of sitting on the Iron Throne had served its purpose, but somehow, she had become something else.

"Dovaogēdys! Dothraki! You crossed the Narrow Sea to help me take Westeros back from the usurperers. The journey to get here was long, and full of torments, and has changed you, as much as it changed me. My father's name means nothing. My claim to the throne means nothing. I want to be Queen to have the power to change the world into a place where children are not castrated and made soldiers, where women are not sold and raped, where there is no poverty, where the value of someone is not determined by the name of his father or by the absence of it. I need your help. Surrendering to evil, injustice, tyranny, and not fighting for good, is a danger greater than the army of the dead. Surrendering to evil is truly how we die. We must fight together, so that no child will have to endure what we had to survive; so that no life will be forgotten and wasted away. I am asking you to fight another battle, the last one. Are you with me?"

The armies roared and got ready to charge the Golden Company.

However, all of a sudden, the soldiers from the Golden Company started throwing the crossbows down the walls and to smash them to the ground. One after the other.

* * *

Yara and her uncle were one in front of the other at the bow of Euron's ship. "I have been waiting for this moment.".

"I can't believe you are still alive, and that you still want to fight. Well, you are not that much of a woman are you. Maybe if you had more dick in your life, you would be less obnoxious. You could even pop a couple of screaming children to keep you out of my sight." he said sneeringly. Intoxicated by his own arrogance, he stumbled on the broken floor.

"You know what is your problem uncle?" Yara used the advantage to pierce his stomach with her sword. "You always thought too much of yourself, and too little of women."

He fell to the ground.

"Maybe if I cut your dick now, and I kept it as a necklace, I would have more dick in my life. Would that make you happy, uncle?"

Blood had started to come out from his mouth.

"Nah. I am not that cruel". She cut his abdomen open, put her fist in it, and pulled out his intestines.

His death rattle filled the air, and he was gone.

"Finally, I got you to shut up."

* * *

The Golden Company turned their back to Daenerys' army, and opened the gates. The Dragon Queen and the others could not understand what was happening.

The captain of the Golden Company was riding towards them. Arya, Jon, Jorah, and Grey Worm placed themselves in front of Daenerys, Sansa, and Missandei. The captain dismounted and tossed his sword on the ground, and then took off his helmet.

Sansa thought that that was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Daenerys dismounted and ran in Daario Naarys' arms.

"You really thought that at the rumour that Cersei Lannister wanted an army, I wouldn't have found a way to be a hero?" asked Daario charmingly.

"I had ordered you to stay in Mereen." remarked Daenerys with the biggest smile.

"I am happy to see you too. I left soldiers at the Red Keep with the order of capturing Cersei. She has no way out. You are welcome. " smiled Daario.

Jon felt a punch in the stomach seeing how those two looked at each other, and Jorah was not happy either.

"Greetings later. I need you to take the people out of the city." rushed Daenerys.

Daario was confused "Why?"

"A precaution. There is no time to explain now."

"It will take us a while, the gates aren't that many."

"I can help with that." Drogon landed next to his mother, she mounted him and shouted "Jon, why are you waiting?"

Jon stopped brooding and mounted Rhaegal, who had followed Drogon.

With the memory of the vision in which the Red Keep was burned and she was dead, the Dragon Queen led the way towards the city. Every night in the last few weeks she had dreamt of that vision, and she took it as a warning to give her life another direction, to take another route. She knew what she had to do to be the Queen she wanted to be.

"Dracarys". Flames came out from Drogon and Rhaegal's mouths and melted the walls of King's Landing one by one to let the people out.

People started screaming in terror and were not moving. The Golden Company and the Unsullied spread in the city as fast as possible to push people to leave the city, reassure them that the Dragon Queen wanted to save them, and that the Dothraki were not the enemy. The Gold Cloaks who tried to fight back were killed, but the majority surrendered at the first sight of the dragons, and rang the bells.

* * *

Qyburn was lighting fuses. He had to study carefully how to make them long enough so that he could have had time to progressively burn the parts of the town farthest from the Red Keep, and then slowly go back to the castle, without being burned alive, to escape with the Queen.

"What do you think you are doing?" Arya asked in the semi-darkness of the tunnels.

Qyburn was startled. He turned around and initially thought it was a Queen's boy, who had come to check on him. Then Arya went closer to him. A girl? Well, no matter, now, he had to execute the Queen's orders: burn them all with wildfire.

"Did the Queen send you?" An explosion went off "I have already lit a few, we should move if we want to cover the entire city and save our life."

Arya pulled out her dagger. Qyburn could not quite understand what it was, but then the light of the candle was reflected by the blade.

"A Queen sent me. My Queen. I don't think it is the same as yours."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"A little bird told me." Arya grabbed his neck and slit his throat.

* * *

Cersei was looking out of her window. She could not understand what was happening but she knew she did not want her people to choose another queen: she would have preferred to see them die. The Mad King had the underground of the city stocked with deposits of wildfire, and Qyburn knew them all; if she had to succumb, the city would have gone with her, as well as the armies who were now advancing in the city. He knew what to do, they had discussed it. And there it was: a green flame invaded the outermost part of town: from the tower she could hear the screams and the horror of the burning people and this made her happy. And then another one. The dragons were gliding to pick up the people that were behind. But it was not enough: the wildfire was faster. Dothraki, Unsullied, mercenaries, were burning with the houses, with the streets, with her people. Cersei started laughing hysterically: soon the entire city would be gone. Then it all stopped, no more flames, no more horror. Nothing was happening. People escaped the city. The Golden company filled all the corridors of the Red Keep. There was no way out. She had lost the game of thrones, and she did not know why.

* * *

**The throne room**

* * *

After the battle, Daenerys' allies were gathering in the throne room.

"Is she in prison?" asked Daenerys.

"Yes, Your Grace" answered Grey Worm. "Lady Brienne has brought Tyrion from Dragonstone as well. The two Lannister's cells are far from each other, so they cannot talk before their trials."

"We will guard them personally until that day, Your Grace." reassured her Missandei.

Daario walked in after having instructed the Golden Company on what to do: move carefully the rest of the wildfire out of the city, in the bay, and let it burn on the water. So it would be gone, forever.

Jon looked at him in the eye. "I do not believe we have been introduced" Jon was at nearly a foot shorter than Daario, yet he thought he was so jealous he could have taken him easily.

"I am Daario Naaris. The Queen and I are old...friends." Daario answered with a mischievous smile. Then he froze. He had noticed Sansa walking in the room and whispering in Daenerys' ears: he had never seen hair of that colour, something in her eyes was mesmerizing. He could not stop looking at her.

Sansa was really struggling not to blush, and Daenerys noticed, struggling not to giggle.

Jon, annoyed, tried to interrupt this awkward moment "What did he tell you?" he asked looking at Sansa.

"Tyrion cannot understand how we did it. And I am not going to tell him. This is killing him more than the sentence you are going to pronounce." Sansa smiled with regret.

"How did you do it, for that matter?" asked Daario smiling.

Arya promenaded the throne room and tossed Qyburn's head on the ground.

Sansa got angry "You have to stop doing that."

Arya was upset "I look forward to killing the Lannisters. Your family saying is 'fire and blood': very little blood was spilled in this battle. They nearly destroyed our families and they would have killed us all to push you to burn millions of innocents. " she said to Daenerys.

"Look where spilling blood took my family. Today, we won and we protected the people: we were successful." smiled Daenerys wittingly.

Arya shrugged her shoulders "My regret is that I found him only after he had lit the first fuses. Luckily Tyrion was very proud of the stocks of wildfire: he had explained everything to Varys."

Daenerys hugged her "You saved millions of people.".

Jorah walked in "The people went back to their houses, your Grace. They are very grateful."

Yara joined them as well "My uncle's ships will be repaired and added to your fleet, Your Grace."

Then a solemn silence filled the room.

Jon looked at Daenerys "It seems everybody that loves you and supports you is in this room. Don't you think it is time?"

She nodded, almost afraid that that moment was nothing but another dream. It was a long journey, but there she was, in front of the iron throne. She had lost much along the way, had found things she did not think she would find, and rewrote her destiny.

Daenerys glided her hand on the throne's arm, she slowly turned around and looked at Jorah, Missandei, Grey Worm, Daario, who had been with her from the beginning, and had witnessed her past, and Jon, her future, with the baby she was carrying: they were all smiling at her, full of joy for she had finally won. A tear of joy ran down her cheek, while, beaming, she sat on the iron throne.

And they all bowed to Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Mother of Dragons, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Episode 6 - Hopes for Spring

**Season 8 - Episode 6**

**Hopes for Spring**

* * *

King's Landing

* * *

King's Landing: In the Dungeons

* * *

"I was wondering if you would have been arrogant enough to come here" Cersei was sitting on the ground, in her cell, in the darkness. She was not used to the light anymore, and had to close her eyes when Daenerys had entered the prison with a torch.

"We have never talked. But I have heard about you and I wanted to know you."

"You arrogant little bitch, you feel like you won, don't you?"

"You say "think" because you hope that Tyrion and Varys will either kill me or render me insane?" replied Daenerys patiently.

Cersei realised the queen knew everything, and she was truly trapped, there was no way out.

"You didn't think I knew..." Daenerys was reassured by the fact that clearly Tyrion was Cersei's last hope to subvert the current situation.

"Well...You get to rule now. Do you think it is easy?" Cersei growled, with disgust.

"No, I have never thought such a thing."

"They are all stupid. Tiny industrious little ants, always whirring; without giving you anything in return, they want to be safe, want to have a home, food, clothes. They are useless to the world, and to themselves. Stupid, worthless, could not do anything of use in their entire lifetime. Yet they want to live. And want you to give them a good life. They need a tyrant, to crush them, dominate them, and that is the only way they could live. "

"Is this what you think of your people?"

"Oh don't be stupid, not of my people: I think that of all people. Only few of us are worth to be in this world, have the capacity to lead this swarm of lives. They do not give me nothing, why should I make an effort to make them happy?"

"You just told me I have the capacity to lead them? Was that a compliment?"

"I despise you with all I have. And you despise me. But we are more similar than what you think."

"What do you mean?"

"We were sold by men to other men. And we overturned our doom. We both lost children, and we kept living. The hurt we went through fuelled our fight, didn't quench it. We both like power. And you are the only one who couldn't look at me horrified for having loved my brother."

"No" Daenerys was pensive "if Viserys hadn't sold me, I would have had to marry him. And even now…" she stopped, for it was not the time to reveal who Jon was. She continued "I have never thought we had so much in common. Although probably the difference between us is the motivation for our actions. You want power to have power, there is no higher purpose to it, if not being above everyone, having everyone's life in your hands, almost as if it was a childish whim of yours."

"Why? Why do you care about others?"

"I think we pay a price oppressing our people, higher than the privileges that we gain. If our people hate us, we are alone, and in danger. The fact that you seem not to hear their cry cannot be true, you must hear it, and fight yourself not to listen. And thinking of your people as ants, tells me that you think of you as a god, not a queen. You forgot what it is to be human. I have been through what they have been through, and when I free people, I see they are happy, nurtured, seeing felicity in their eyes, makes me feel like I have a purpose, that my life had a reason for being. It is the atonement for what my family had done."

"You' re pathetic. I actually like to see them in pain. I like to have that kind of power."

"Then I am sorry for you"

"And I am sorry you are not dead" Cersei looked behind Daenerys "Oh the little bird…."

Sansa, after weeks, had finally found the courage to face Cersei, and waited for Daenerys to not go there alone.

"I thought you would have become very beautiful, I was right. Are you two friends now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Daenerys.

"I mean Sansa here wanted to marry Joffrey even after he ordered to kill her dog. She wanted to be queen. Now she does not want that anymore?" Cersei looked at Sansa "Tell me you would not want to be in her place, tell me you would not want her dead."

"Did I want to be queen? Yes. Do I want her dead? Never."

"You are lying. I know how envious you are, I know the ambition that is inside you. I know your heart."

"No, Cersei. You know nothing. In the last few years, I witnessed the most horrible scheming, my family has been decimated, I have seen my father executed, and his head on a spear, I was threatened, raped, mutilated, beaten, sold. Do you think I want the slightest hint of darkness in my life, after that?" Sansa, smiled, as she had smiled when she walked away from Ramsey while he was being devoured by his dogs. She was finally free "Do you know what defeats darkness? Fire." she turned to Deanerys and said "I think we are done here.".

* * *

King's Landing: In the Gardens

* * *

After talking to Cersei, Daenerys and Sansa were walking in the gardens, to breathe fresh air after Cersei's intoxicating heinousness. It was nearly sunset, and the gardens were inundated with a golden light. It seemed impossible that in the world there could be anything but beauty.

"How are you?" asked Sansa.

"She is just one more person that tried to hurt me or kill me. Her plotting against me didn't afflict me. Tyrion, however, is another matter…."

"You have not confronted him yet?"

"No, I do not want to give him anymore power. I will see him at his trial. I would not know what to say to him anyway." she took Sansa's hand "How are you?"

"If I stayed here I would have become like her. If I did not find Jon and Arya...and you...my mind would still be drenched in those black poisonous thoughts." she stopped walking "I want you to know, I could never hate you. Never."

"That is good to hear. I don't think I could bear it."

Sansa hugged her.

"Uh you are having an emotional moment. Sorry. I am always untimely." Daario had walked towards them enthusiastically and now he had stopped.

"We know how annoying you can be, ser Daario." Daenerys smiled. Daario had been knighted a few days before for his services to the Queen and the Seven Kingdoms. "Forgive me though, I should go and put my feet up. Be nice to her." Daenerys warned him.

"I don't see how I could do otherwise." he kept staring in Sansa's eyes, while she was visibly blushing, and Daenerys left.

Sansa and Daario had been seeing each other every day, close to sunset, and every night they would talk until late at night. They were quite similar, they had a good heart, but knew the world; they were really worried for Jon and Dany and their optimistic view of people, as Sansa and Daario were more careful and less open to trusting a stranger, less generous, unless they knew it was worth it.

"I had hoped we would not miss our meeting today. How are you?"

"Cersei insinuated I hate Daenerys and want to be queen instead of her."

"Do you?"

Sansa stopped to think for a moment, and then said "Before I met her, yes. Especially when I learned that Jon had bent the knee to her without asking me. There were rumors she was beautiful, and I just thought my brother was an idiot. And then I met her. It is impossible not to admire her. Not to love her."

"I know." Daario smiled.

"Oh, yes, of course, you...I had forgotten about that." she was embarrassed "so... I have heard that the walls are nearly done, and they city is safe. Now, what are you going to do? Are you going back to Mereen or are you staying here with our queen?"

"Well, it is really warm in Mereen. I quite enjoy the weather here. Actually, I have been told the North is quite gorgeous, and even cooler. I would love to see it... if it pleased the queen in the North, of course."

Sansa smiled. She was always smiling when she was with Daario. "Well I know her, and I know she would be really pleased."

"I know I am not a noblemen, I know I am just a mercenary. I am grateful for the time you spend with me...I would understand if you wanted to form alliances, and wanted to wed again to some Lord from somewhere..."

"I have been engaged to a prince, and married to a lord. I think I have had enough of houses and alliances and political matters..."

"Well I wonder if, after everything you have been through, you would want to wed again at all..." he was trying to raise the topic gently.

"It depends on who were to ask, I guess..."

Daario had fallen in love with Sansa the moment he met her, but he was used to Daenerys keeping him at a distance, so he did not dare hoping there could be anything more than those walks. "Would you consider marrying me then?" he just could not keep it in anymore.

"Well, is it just a curiosity of yours, or are you actually asking?"

"Yes...Yes I am actually asking. Would you marry me?"

"Oh, then yes."

"Well then.."

"Well..."

They bursted into laughter.

At last, in the exact place where she and Margaery had discussed her marrying ser Loras, Sansa got to be promised to the knight she loved after all.

"I should ask your brother's permission..."

"Jon wants me to be happy. He won't say no."

"Why are we so bad at this?" he asked embarrassed.

"I have no idea" she laughed.

They kept walking in those peaceful gardens, holding each other's hand, and for a moment Sansa seemed to forget what had happened since she had arrived in King's Landing for the first time.

* * *

King's Landing: In the Dungeons

* * *

"Shhhh, say nothing" a whisper woke Cersei up from her doze.

"You're alive!" Cersei hugged Jamie.

"They captured you"

"Yes, yes that little silver whore. Oh, you are alive!"

"We must hurry, or they will catch us. A boat awaits us, we can go to Bravos and start over again. Just the three of us, you, me, and our child.".

"What do you mean go to Bravos? No. We must hurt her. We have to find a way. It' s the two of us now. We can kill the bastard, at least."

"Cersei, we lost. We lost the Seven Kingdoms, we lost our children, we lost our family. Let's not lose ourselves, I beg you."

"I want revenge. I want to see her suffer. I want to continue my life knowing that she lost the person she loves the most."

"I love you, you love me, we are having a child. We can get to Essos and pretend our life before now never happened. They think I am dead. They think they burned my body on a pyre at Winterfell. I did all this so that we could have another chance."

"And we will. Just one more murder, Ned Stark's bastard. How can you not hate him? He is like his father. It is because of Ned Stark that all of this started. He forced us to do all this. If he had shut up, there would have been no need of killing Robert, there would have been no need to play this game. They will never know it is us. We can blame it on Tyrion."

"It is not worth it."

"Yes, it is. If I could, there would be no more Starks or Targaryen in this world."

Jamie went silent, and grinned "I tried. They cannot say I did not try. I thought I could forgive you. But you do not deserve my forgiveness. I thought that since you are pregnant, you deserved a chance, to start again. But you cannot change, your heart is rotten. Maybe Joffrey was not crazy because his parents were siblings, but because his mother is crazy as well."

"What are you saying? Are you insane?" Cersei was confused.

"No, I have never been better. I see everything clearly now. You do not deserve to live. And the last thing you will see will be the man you love killing you." Jamie stabbed her in the chest.

Cersei fell on her knees, a tear ran on her cheek. The prophecy was true, but she always thought it would have been Tyrion. Instead, the brother who was killing her was the man for whom she had done all this, the only man she had ever loved. "Why?" she whispered in despair. She fell to the ground, and life left Cersei Lannister.

Jamie looked at her, took a deep breath, put his hand on his face, and off came Jamie's appearance. Arya was her again, content she had finally killed the person that had never left her list. And the Gods were her witnesses, Cersei had deserved to die in a pool filled with her own blood.

* * *

King's Landing: In the Dragon pit

* * *

Robin Arryn, Yara Greyjoy, Samwell Tarly, Edmure Tully, Gendry Baratheon, Ellaria Sand - freed right after the battle -, and the other lords and ladies of Westeros had arrived in King's Landing to honour the Dragon Queen.

Before the coronation, Daenerys wanted to solve everything that made her sad, and Tyrion's trial was one of those things.

Daenerys had entrusted Arya with what to do about Cersei: she thought that, after everything Arya had been through, and what she had done during the war, she had deserved it. Arya had made the decision of killing Cersei by herself, giving her a chance to redeem herself and be free, but Cersei confirmed it was unsafe for them to let her live. Arya, however, had not told them she had stolen Jamie's body, she told them that after she killed Cersei. Daenerys did not approve of it, she thought it was too cruel, but she understood how Arya felt, and, anyway, now it was done.

However, Tyrion's trial for her was personal, after his betrayal.

"You stand accused of treason, you stand accused of attempted murder. How do you answer these charges, Lord Tyrion Lannister?" asked Arya.

"Where is Varys? He is a liar, he is framing me to have more power at court. You shouldn't believe him."

"You see, you were spied, so it is not Varys' words that accuse you, but mine. I was there. Let's try again, Lord Tyrion. You stand accused of treason, you stand accused of attempted murder. How do you answer these charges?" Arya asked again.

"How...?" Tyrion was confused, as the fact that Arya was a faceless assassin was not divulged, so he did not know how she had managed to spy on them.

"For the last time. You stand accused of treason, you stand accused of attempted murder. How do you answer these charges, Lord Tyrion Lannister? You plotted to kill everyone that our queen holds dear, with the sole purpose of pushing her to destroy the city. You and your sister Cersei Lannister, and Varys', conspired together so that the Lannister would be the only house left to rule Westeros. Do you deny it?"

"...No" there was nowhere to hide anymore, thought Tyrion.

"Why?" asked Daenerys with a feeble voice.

"Power. Isn't that always the answer in these circumstances? There is no way to ask a scorpion not to sting. I have tried. But the idea that, after you would have married, I would have had no power, had more effect than my attempts."

"Didn't you grow to care for me at all?" Daenerys was heartbroken.

"Yes...it is impossible not to. In fact, the jealousy added to the problem." he could see she was in pain, and he regretted his actions, for that view of her, nearly in tears, did not bring him joy at all, just sorrow. But it was too late now. He had made his choice.

"It will not be me who will pronounce this sentence. This council will be asked to vote on this matter." Daenerys "You pledged guilty, so there are only two solutions for this." she turned to the council "Those of you who are in favour of a lifetime spent in prison, raise your open hand. Those of you in favour of a death sentence raise your fist.".

Tyrion lowered his eyes, as all the fists went up.

"So be it." Daenerys hesitated, but she knew that that was the right decision. Jon held her hand while she said "Dracarys." Drogon came out from behind the queen, and Tyrion Lannister died by fire.

* * *

King's Landing: In the Throne Room

* * *

The Lannisters had to pay their debts in the end, for all the misery they had brought to the world, all the pain they had caused, all the injustices they had perpetrated, and had died in fire and blood.

Now the lords and ladies of Westeros were gathered in the throne room. The iron throne had been melted: it was not only a symbol of oppression, but also of solitude, and neither Daenerys or Jon wanted to be alone, ever again. Therefore, two thrones had been made, for a king and a queen: on the backrest a black dragon and a white direwolf were inlaid with blue flowers in the white wood.

The noblemen were confused by this choice, and Daenerys stood up to explain, while Jon was sat by her side:

"My Ladies and Lords, I have conquered Westeros" cheers filled the room "however, you must know that the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, the son of my brother Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark, was hidden in Winterfell by Ned Stark, as his bastard." people were holding their breath. She continued "Jon Snow is, in fact, Aegon Targaryen." not a sound in the room "We are to marry and our first heir is on his way..."

"Or her..." corrected her Jon.

Cheers of excitement resonated between the cold walls of the throne room.

"Therefore, both by right, he for birth and I for earning it, and by marriage you shall have a king and queen."

Jubilation escalated in the crowd.

"However, we wish to establish a council, not of selected lords, but of all lords and ladies, or their representatives, who will have to study several volumes from the Citadel, mostly about history and politics, but also about agriculture, money administration, farming, and all subjects that will come into play while ruling a country for the common interest, not just for ourselves. You get to be in the council because of your birthright, you will be able to remain in the council if you'll have deserved it, and this will be judged on how you'll serve the people. Our laws will be based on justice, not on private interest; and we will preserve our power, not for the power itself, but for the common good. We will never be perfect, but this does not mean we have to stop trying to be."

The crowd reacted first with perplexity, and then with approving nodding.

Aegon stood up and took from where Daenerys had stopped: "Your Queen and I have decided that we need a bit of tranquillity, for recovering from the past and starting to build the future. Hence, at least in the immediate future, we will spend most of our time in Winterfell. We will take care of the realm from a far, but for urgent matters, King's Landing will have two regents: Missandei of Naath, the Queen's advisor, and Grey Worm, the head of the Queen's guard. The way with which you treat us, will be the way with which you will treat them. The Queen and I won't yield to any other way."

The room went quiet, almost as if they were trying to absorb all these changes, but their resolution was that the King and Queen were very wise, and there was much hope for the future to come.

A thunderous applause shook the walls of King's Landing, for spring was coming.

* * *

Winterfell

* * *

After deliberating on a few imminent issues for the realm, such as improving the health conditions of the city, feeding the poor, educating the children, in King's Landing, lords and ladies, king and queen, left the city to take care of their castles for a while.

Yara Greyjoy had gone back to the Iron Islands, accompanied by Ellaria Sand: since their ...friendship...had been interrupted in the past, they wanted to continue from where they had left it.

The Hound had had his brother burned alive by Queen Daenerys, and decided that he had enough of fire, so he would have gone beyond the Wall. Beric, who had miraculously survived the battle with the dead, thought that being the shield that protects the realm of men was his new purpose, and decided to go with the Hound.

Brienne of Tarth had never been to Essos, and Queen Daenerys and the Queen in the North had asked her to administer Mereen, now that Daario would have moved North. Tormund had never been warm in his life, so he followed Brienne, hoping that one day he would have conquered her. "Her heart just needs some healing, that's all." he had said to Aegon.

The wolves, the dragons, with their wolves and dragons, were back in Winterfell, with Jorah, Daario, Gendry, and Grey Worm. Missandei had gone North as well: she wanted to be with her queen in the last months of her pregnancy.

* * *

Winterfell: Daenerys' chambers

* * *

Jorah and Daenerys were reviewing the plan for the kingdoms for the following months, and, since it was very satisfactory, Jorah decided that it was the right time to ask for something: "Your Grace, I wanted to ask if I could spend some time with Lady Lyanna back on Bear Island. She does not have a family and I thought she could use some help."

Daenerys became anxious: ser Jorah was her oldest friend, she did not want him to go; but she felt selfish and she realised it was time he did something for himself, take back his title, be pardoned: "I know for a fact she is very lucky and you will help her become the best version of herself, the leader she is supposed to become. I know because you did it with me." Her voice broke.

"It is not forever. I will be back before you'll know it."

"I hope so. I need your guidance for my child." she hoped he would accept.

"I really hope it is a girl, Your Grace. I would love to see you in her, little again. You have always been precious." his voice broke now.

She hugged him "Thank you. For offering me your life. Thank you for my life: I would not be here if it weren't for you."

"And I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you" he dared to kiss her forehead, and she kissed his hands.

"We will wait for you then."

"I swear it to you, I will be back."

Aegon walked in the room while Jorah was hugging Daenerys "Oh, I am sorry I did not mean to interrupt...".

"Ser Jorah is leaving for Bear Island." said Dany with a broken voice.

"I will be back" Ser Jorah keep trying to reassure her.

"For the time being, if I could take care of her half as well as you, I should consider myself fortunate." said Aegon.

Ser Jorah bowed and smiled "I am sure you will."

Aegon drew Long Claw, removed the wolf's head from the hilt, and handed the sword to Jorah, "You are going back home. Perhaps you'd be so kind to accept Long Claw now. I beg you. It was meant for you. Lady Brienne gave us her sword and we have Jamie Lannister's: Gendry will forge Ice back, my father's, Ned Stark's sword, for me. As Ice has come home, so should Long Claw. Your father would be very proud of you, ser Jorah, I know he would be."

"Thank you." Ser Jorah' s eyes went wet, so he excused himself, repeating to Dany "I will come back."

Alone with Aegon, Daenerys felt free to be dejected for ser Jorah's departure.

"You know what that means, right?" asked her Aegon, trying to wipe her tears.

Daenerys looked at him confused.

He elaborated "Until he comes back, I have to love you for the both of us. It will be difficult, but I think I could do it."

He managed to make her smile between the tears.

He kept trying to reassure her "You have been brave, and strong, beyond what is imaginable. You are a wonderful queen. I am honoured and grateful you love me and I am proud of it, of you. Jorah will come back in no time. Meanwhile, you are safe, you are adored. And I will always be by your side. Unless, that is the reason why you are crying: you grew bored of me and the thought of being left alone with me makes you sad!" he teased her, and caressed her belly.

She laughed "Yes! Who told you I loved you? You are so pompous." she put her head on his chest, he embraced her tightly, and kissed her. She added "I am proud of you too. You are going to be a great king. I want you to know that. And I do love you. Even if destiny took from us many years that we could have spent with each other, now we are growing together. The ice placated the fire and the fire melted the ice." and then she kissed him again.

* * *

Winterfell: Arya's chambers

* * *

"I am ridiculous " said Arya, looking at herself in the mirror. Sansa had adapted an old dress of hers to fit her sister in their wedding day "I look like...I look like..."

"Like a Lady, which is what you are." replied Sansa, exasperated.

"I am no Lady, I have never been."

"I know you like to fight, I know you are a trained assassin, but that does not mean that a part of you can't also be Lady Arya Stark. Even a tiny part. And today the Starks celebrate. We survived our family, we survived what fate threw at us. We are getting married to men that love us. The war is over. You do not need to be an assassin anymore."

"I want to keep fighting, and travelling."

"You will. Between Storm's End and Winterfell there is half of Westeros. And with the role that Daenerys gave you, you will travel all the Seven Kingdoms and Essos to train her armies. But can you be Lady Arya Stark today, and marry Lord Gendry Baratheon? For me?"

Arya surrendered "Should I wear my hair up or down?"

"I vote for up" Daenerys had entered the room, with Missandei. She and Grey Worm would have gotten married that day too.

"Can we help you get ready?" asked Sansa to Missandei.

"All of you, sit. I will take care of everyone of you." said Daenerys getting a brush; she never had sisters really, but Missandei, Sansa, and Arya had become her sisters, they loved her dearly, she could feel it, and she loved them, and this is what sisters do: they help each other, always.

* * *

In the Dining Hall

* * *

The dining hall was full with the people of Winterfell. After the three weddings, Arya and Gendry's, Sansa and Daario's, and Missandei and Grey Worm's, a big celebration was taking place. The ceremonies had taken place in the forest, not done for the Gods of the North, to not remind Sansa of her sad past. Everybody now was a bit drunk, and full of pies, and roast, and puddings.

Aegon and Daenerys stood up:

Aegon started "In these wars we lost the people we loved. We lost our alliances. These last years changed us, and changed the world we used to know. Today we were reminded that one can find joy among the ruins, that there is something for which to fight. Today we can be sure that we were right when we chose to fight. To those who got married today, I wish much happiness, and a beautiful future. With all my heart."

"The world that our fathers left us has to be changed. We will change it into something for which our children will thank us. All of it starts with generosity, loyalty, love, and happiness, and family; and this is all in this room, today. Winter is over. Spring is coming, for all of us." finished Daenerys.

The room yelled at unison "Aye" and cheered with their ale.

"Now if you have some time, there is going to be another wedding. Please follow us outside." said Aegon.

The people, confused, followed them outside.

* * *

In the Godswood

* * *

From the dining hall, they all walked outside, to the Godswood; the path was lighted with lanterns. Aegon and Daenerys wanted to get married with the others, but they knew that, if they had done it at the same time, the attention would have been on them, on the king and the queen. So they decided to do it after dinner, in the merriment for the day.

"Are you ready?" asked Aegon.

Daenerys beamed "I think I have been ready for years, since when I was a child hiding in Essos and you were a bastard in Winterfell. This is how it should have been, from the beginning.".

"It is. The life we were given tried to take this away from us. But we won." Aegon beamed back.

They smiled and they hinted the maester they could have started the ceremony.

Aegon and Daenerys' hands were fasted together.

The maester started talking: "Let it be known that Daenerys of House Targaryen and Aegon of House Targaryen are one heart, one flesh, one soul. Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder. In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity. Look upon one another and say the words."

Aegon and Daenerys replied in unison:

_"Father. Smith. Warrior. Mother. Maiden. Crone. Stranger. I am hers, and she is mine, from this day, until the end of my days."_

_"Father. Smith. Warrior. Mother. Maiden. Crone. Stranger. I am his, and he is mine, from this day, until the end of my days."_

Five dragons furrowed the clouds, and another kicked Dany from inside of her.

* * *

The little girl that was alone in the world became a warrior, the slave became a regent, the tortured lady finally married her knight.

The bastard shunned to the Wall become king and the girl who was sold by her brother became queen.

This is the thing about destiny: it's there to be overturned, fighting for good and doing what needs to be done to be happy.

THE END

(?)


End file.
